Anne Hathaway's first major role came in the short-lived
television series "Get Real" (1999). She gained widespread recognition for her
roles in The Princess Diaries (2001) and its 2004 sequel as a young girl who
discovers she's a member of royalty, opposite Julie Andrews and Heather
Matarazzo.
She also had a notable role in Nicholas Nickleby (2002) opposite Charlie Hunnam
and Jamie Bell, and a starring role in Ella Enchanted (2004). A former
top-ranking soprano in New York, Hathaway was reportedly a front-runner for the
role of "Christine" in the 2004 The Phantom of the Opera (2004). However, due to
scheduling conflicts with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), she
couldn't take the role, which was later given to newcomer Emmy Rossum.
Hathaway soon started to move away from family-friendly films. Following The
Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), she appeared topless in the films
Havoc (2005) opposite Josh Peck and Brokeback Mountain (2005) opposite Heath
Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Her desire to break out of her "Princess Diaries"
image parallels that of her one-time co-star, Julie Andrews, who went topless in
the film S.O.B. (1981) in order to break away from the image she created from
her 1960s musicals. In interviews, Hathaway said that doing family-friendly
films didn't mean she was similar to their characters or mean she objected to
appearing nude in other films.
Her upcoming films are The Devil Wears Prada (2006) opposite Meryl Streep, and
Becoming Jane (2007), in which she'll play a young Jane Austen.