Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine's new romantic comedy The Idea of You is already turning heads on the internet ahead of its March 16 premiere at SXSW. But Hathaway was still stunned by the enthusiasm of the fans on the big night. When she took the stage for a Q&A after the SXSW screening, she was so moved by the audience's reaction that she was nearly speechless. Their "reaction" brought tears to her eyes and gave her an experience she "will never forget."
unusual reaction
The premiere took place on the final night of the SXSW Music Festival at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas. One festival-goer on X (formerly Twitter) said it was a "perfect end" to the experience, and most viewers seemed to agree. When the on-screen couple finally kissed, the audience was so enthusiastic that it elicited "gasps," "screams" and "deafening" applause, Variety reported.
When Hathaway took the stage, she was still moved by their reaction. “I couldn’t speak,” she said through tears on Variety footage. Luckily, she found her words after fans yelled "I love you!" give her. "I love you so much," Hathaway replied. "You have no idea the gift you just gave us is your ability to respond, by being so connected to every nuance of this thing. I will never forget this screening."
The audience continues to digest everything the actors have to say. Hathaway told attendees she was "thrilled" to star in the romantic comedy, which tells an unconventional story based on Robinne Lee's 2017 novel of the same name. "For some reason, we talk about coming of age stories as things that happen in the earliest stages of your life," she said. "I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm always blooming."
More thanks and fan support
As for her leading man, Galitzin also got a lot of love. He shared his awe with fans on Instagram the day after the premiere. "I'm so blown away that so many of you showed up to @sxsw yesterday to support #theideaofyou - it was such a special night with such special people," he wrote. "Thank you x."
And the audience love isn't over yet. His review was quickly filled with praise for him, Hathaway and their film. "Congratulations to you all...[this] has been a huge success and I can't wait to see it," one fan wrote. Another added, "We are so honored to have had the opportunity to support you and adore you and Annie," with many others chiming in with how excited they were to watch the film.
"The Idea of You" will begin streaming on Prime Video on May 2.
