"One Day," the bittersweet love saga hitting theaters on Friday, which is based on David Nicholls' charming international best-seller, follows two friends (played by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) over the span of 20 years. So it's fitting that for the past decade we have been following Anne and her ever-evolving career and personal life, something we'll continue to do for the next 10 years and beyond. Having a diverse resume that—at just 28 years old—already includes indies, family fare, rom-coms, big-budget action flicks and sweeping dramas , the Oscar-nominated actress has become one of the defining stars of our generation. As we look forward to the release of "One Day" and her upcoming projects (hello, "Dark Knight Rises"!) let's look back at the evolution of Anne Hathaway.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 12, 1982, Anne is the middle child of a lawyer, her father Gerald, and an actress, her mother Kathleen. While Anne grew up performing on the stage, her big break wouldn't come from the theater, but rather the big screen. "The Princess Diaries," a charming live-action Disney movie about a teen who discovers she's actually an heiress to a throne, marked Anne's second time appearing in a movie, but it catapulted her to instant fame. Her sweet, funny performance as the dowdy girl-turned-princess Mia Thermopolis won over critics and moviegoers alike. She may have already been 18 when the flick, which grossed $108 million at the box office (and spawned the sequel "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement"), was released in 2001, but her star was just being born.
Anne continued to take on similar whimsical roles in movies like "Ella Enchanted," and provided the voice for the Little Red Riding Hood character in "Hoodwinked," but she shed her good-girl image by 2005 when she took on daring roles in the controversial teen drama "Havoc" and the Oscar-winning epic saga "Brokeback Mountain." It was her part in "Brokeback" as Lureen, a woman whose husband (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) carries on a lifelong affair with a man (the late, great Heath Ledger) that really opened audiences'—and critics'—eyes to a whole new Anne.
While Anne proved she could act alongside some of Hollywood's greats, like she did opposite Meryl Streep in the 2006 fashionable classic "The Devil Wears Prada" and with Steve Carell in the 2008 hit comedy "Get Smart," her off-screen pairing with then-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri wasn't nearly as picturesque. The couple began dating in 2004, but their fairytale romance turned tragic when Raffaello was found guilty of fraud charges in 2008. Anne split from him that year (he is currently serving prison time) and her career only continued to flourish, in spite of the controversial and very public break-up.
That very same year she starred in the intense indie drama "Rachel Getting Married" as an unstable young woman battling her demons, while her family tries to hold it together for her sister's wedding. Anne's nuanced and heartbreaking performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She ultimately lost to Kate Winslet, but she made quite an impression on the Academy (including a memorable song-and-dance number with that year's emcee Hugh Jackman), as they asked her to come back and co-host the 2011 ceremony alongside James Franco.
But, much like her Oscar hosting gig, the movies that came after "Rachel Getting Married" got mostly mixed reviews, from panned rom-coms like "Bride Wars" and "Valentine's Day" to the take-it-or-leave-it Tim Burton version of "Alice in Wonderland." Still, there was plenty of love for her voice work on "The Simpsons," which earned her an Emmy Award, as well as when she re-teamed with Jake Gyllenhaal for the sexy dramedy "Love and Other Drugs," which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for her fearless (and, yes, pretty naked) performance.
Though she has often let her voice do all the work, much like she did during a guest stint on "Family Guy" and in this year's animated flick "Rio," Anne's beauty and fashion sense in front of the camera and on the red carpet has constantly put her on best dressed lists and made her one of the faces of Lancôme.
With a new man on her arm (actor Adam Schulman) and an anticipated performance as comic book legend Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises," Anne Hathaway continues to make us love her more and more with each passing day.
What's your favorite Anne Hathaway movie, Crushers? Let us know in the comments section below and on Twitter!
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