Anne Hathaway wasn’t quite aware of the dedicated following enjoyed by David Nicholls novel One Day when she signed on to star in its film adaptation, which arrived in theaters last month.
However, as she recently told Bang Showbiz, she soon realized she wouldn’t be able to get thumbs up from everyone when it came to her portrayal of Emma Morley.
“I quickly realized I was going to disappoint a lot of people. People have their own idea about who these characters are and how they act and how they sound,” the 28-year-old said. “I didn’t realize how deeply loved the character was when I signed on to play Emma. I wish I didn’t really know!”
Hathaway’s performance isn’t the only part of the film that didn’t get rave reviews. One Day, which chronicles the evolution of Emma’s relationship with a fellow student (Jim Sturgess) by capturing them every July 15 for 20 years, currently holds a 34-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “People kept asking me, ‘So you’re playing Emma? Will you be doing this with the character? Will you be doing that?’ I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, people know every word of this book!’” Hathaway continued. “There were days when I would liken it to walking between two dams with criticism on either side and you just hope, ‘Please don’t crumble today, I really can’t take it.’ There are a lot of things to enjoy. I tried not to let it get to me.”
