Anne Hathaway ‘Gross Audition’ Claims Denied By Casting Directors

Anne Hathaway may not be remembering a “gross” casting moment from her early acting days correctly, at least, that is what some casting directors want fans to believe.

Sources have seemingly debunked the actress’ claims that she had to engage in kissing scenes with ten different men during a chemistry test. According to them, this was not the case in at least two of Hathaway’s major movie successes.

Ever since Hathaway mentioned that the chemistry read occurred for a project in the 2000s, fans have speculated that “The Princess Diaries” might have been the film in question. 

Their proof lies in the time frame and circumstances that she described aligning perfectly with the 2001 coming-of-age movie. In the film, where she played the character of Mia, the actress kissed two of her male co-stars. 

However, Donna Morong, the casting director for the Hollywood project has dismissed the allegations, stating that she has never participated in auditions where actors were required to kiss their partners to test screen chemistry.

Linda Lamontagne, another casting director who also collaborated with Hathaway, refuted any involvement in conducting uncomfortable chemistry reads. 

The 62-year-old, known for such works as “Get Real” and “Ultra City Smiths,” gave a statement to TMZ, clarifying:

“I’ve worked in casting since ‘Capital News’ in 1988 and, in all honesty, never had to have actors make out with any other actor for any auditions nor chemistry tests.”

She added, “If there was a scene ever, and there were only a few in my career, we never selected those scenes to use for auditions. It’s hard enough to audition for something that is new, or even established and we don’t want to make a talent uncomfortable. It’s enough pressure as it is.”

Fans can also rule out “Brokeback Mountain,” even though it was one of Hathaway’s early mature roles in 2005. 

The romance film’s casting director, Avy Kaufman, confirmed she has zero recollection of any of the events the 41-year-old claimed happened during her recent cover story for V Magazine.

Just last month, Hathaway made headlines for crediting Christopher Nolan for reviving her career following the criticism she endured in the early 2010s. Termed “Hathahate,” critics found problems with her sincerity, awkwardness, and perceived “annoying” traits. 

The drama, which began in 2011 when she co-hosted the Oscars alongside James Franco, culminated when she won an award for her performance in “Les Misérables.” 

After years of hiding her feelings, she finally addressed them during an interview, admitting she was aware of the negative online perception. Unfortunately, the unpleasant public opinion affected her career, leading to a period of stagnation.

Thankfully, Hathaway found support in Nolan, who remained indifferent to online criticism and offered her “one of the most beautiful roles” she had ever played.

She added, “I don’t know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect. And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me.”

The Primetime Emmy Award winner also delved into the profound sorrow she endured after experiencing a miscarriage in 2015. 

Per The Blast, Hathaway shared a black-and-white mirror selfie on Instagram shortly after the incident, proudly displaying her baby bump. 

Alongside the image, posted in July 2019, the “Rachel Getting Married” starlet shared a message with her followers, writing:

“It’s not for a movie…. All kidding aside, for everyone going through infertility and conception hell, please know it was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies. Sending you extra love.”

When asked about her choice of words to reveal her pregnancy during the aforementioned interview she replied:

“Given the pain I felt while trying to get pregnant, it would’ve felt disingenuous to post something all the way happy when I know the story is much more nuanced than that for everyone.”

The miscarriage had an even greater impact because Hathaway had to hide her pain while performing as a pregnant character in her one-woman off-Broadway play, “Grounded.”

She luckily found relief in confiding in her friends backstage, revealing that it became impossible to keep up the act “when I was onstage pretending everything was fine.” The New York City native further elaborated:

“I had to keep it real otherwise…So when it did go well for me, having been on the other side of it — where you have to have the grace to be happy for someone — I wanted to let my sisters know, ‘You don’t have to always be graceful. I see you, and I’m with you.'”

Ultimately, Hathaway shared her story because she wanted other women who had problems conceiving and achieving their dreams of motherhood to feel seen.