Anne Hathaway is reprising one of her favorite roles. Appearing in Vanity Fair's Scene Picks video series, the actor looked back on her breakout performance in "The Princess Diaries," revealing that one memorable scene was actually improvised.
In the 2001 film, Paul (played by Larry Miller) transformed Hathaway's character, Mia Thermopolis. While combing Mia's extraordinarily curly hair, Paul broke his brush. Apparently, the "stubborn" hairbrushes used on set made filming more difficult than expected.
"So he really had to break that loose," Hathaway recalled while rewatching the scene. "They had the brushes pre-broken and it was supposed to break easily, but it didn't. It was just me and Larry improvising, trying to make it go smoothly. I can't remember if that 'flow' was real or if I was just giving it to him Buy some time."
"The Princess Diaries" is adapted from Meg Cabot's novel of the same name, telling the story of Mia who unexpectedly learns that she is the heir to the throne of a foreign king. The film spawned a sequel, 2004's The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement , starring Chris Pine as Mia's dashing love interest Nicholas Devereaux.
Hathaway reflected on the first film's success in an interview with Vanity Fair , saying it "felt so big." "It ended up being so big, and it just got bigger and bigger as I progressed in life," she said. "I'm so proud to be in this movie and I'm really happy that I'm the girl in it."
Hathaway also recalled the life lessons co-star Julie Andrews (Clarice Rinaldi Queen) taught her on set.
"I knew I wanted to handle myself in a way that I would be proud of later on," she told the magazine, adding that Andrews will be signing autographs for fans after the shoot. “She respects the relationship they have with her work that lasts throughout their lives and it’s a wonderful experience for them.”
Another movie may be coming soon
With Princess Diaries 3 in development, Hathaway has reportedly expressed interest in reprising her role alongside Andrews.
"I'm working towards it. If there's a way to get Julie Andrews involved, I think we'll make it work," she told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. "We would go to where she was, put a green screen behind her and make it happen."
