Anne Hathaway pushes limits for new role: 'I left everything on the floor'

Anne Hathaway says hard work beats talent every time

By Maryam Nadeem March 26, 2026

Anne Hathaway pushes limits for new role: 'I left everything on the floor'

Anne Hathaway opens up about her relentless work ethic and “humbling” challenges.

The 43-year-old actress told Harper’s Bazaar that she realised early on that nothing in Hollywood would be handed to her, and she’s always put everything into every role.

“I’ve always just felt defined by my work ethic,” Anne said.

“My skill set is what it is, and I have to work with what I have, but how hard I can work is something that I can control. And so I never want to pull up short and feel like I could have worked harder.”

The Princess Diaries star recalled that as a child she took dance classes, but quickly found herself struggling.

“At a certain point, the dancers jump, right? And I was going all the time, and I couldn’t jump in both senses of the word,” she laughed.

She accepted her limitations early on, ruling out being a pop star and instead letting acting lead the way.

Now, for her upcoming film Mother Mary, Anne faced a whole new challenge: portraying a Beyoncé-style pop star.

The role forced her to confront physical limitations she’d long accepted.

“It was really, really humbling to have to deal with the limitations that my body had always had… but now they were no longer acceptable,” she admitted.

Determined to rise to the occasion, Anne took dance lessons and pushed herself harder than ever.

“At the end of it, I couldn’t say, ‘I wish I’d done this better,’” she said. “I know I literally couldn’t have worked harder.”