“I almost backed out of the film because I didn’t know if I could go there as an actress,” Hathaway said.
Anne Hathaway had to ignore her first instinct to run away from the psychological terror of filming “Mother’s Instinct.”
The Oscar winner revealed that she had to tackle her “worst fear” alongside Jessica Chastain for upcoming thriller “Mother’s Instinct,” directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse. “Mother’s Instinct” is a remake of Belgium helmer Masset-Depasse’s 2017 film “Duelles,” based on the novel “Derrière la Haine” by novelist Barbara Abel.
The official synopsis reads: Set in the 1960s, “Mothers’ Instinct” centers on best friends and neighbors Alice (Chastain) and Celine (Hathaway), who live in a suburban paradise. Both are mothers to two sons of the same age, and their idyllic domestic happiness is shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion, and paranoia bleed into their friendship as a psychological battle of wills gives way to a darker side of the maternal instinct.
“That was the hardest role I have played,” Hathaway said in a Vogue Hong Kong cover story. “It touched my worst fear and I almost backed out of the film because I didn’t know if I could go there as an actress.”
Hathaway is a producer on the feature, along with fellow Academy Award winner Chastain. Production wrapped earlier this year, with the film acquired by Neon for U.S. release and Anton handling international rights.
The “Armageddon Time” actress and mother of two exclusively told IndieWire that her career hinges on “taking risks,” much like leaving her comfort zone with “Mother’s Instinct.”
“The goal was always to become the best actor that I could become,” Hathaway said of her career choices. “I made sure that I was choosing people that understood that I wanted to be an actress first. And that would mean taking risks. And that would mean taking small parts with the greatest director that would have me, because that’s where I was going to learn, to grow. For me the goal is longevity.”
The “Les Misérables” Oscar winner continued, “I’ll probably choose the indie every day — if I’m available, if I can, if there’s no other outside forces that that say, ‘I actually do very much need to do this movie right now.’ I’m always on the lookout for things that could be [commercial]. But it’s not like I do something because it has commercial appeal. I don’t think I would do very good work under those conditions. Because if I’m not feeling it, there’s nothing there. If I can’t bring my passion to it, I don’t think I’m very good.”
