In the dizzying world of New York fashion, where size zero is the new 2, six is the new 8, and a bad hair day can end a career, Runaway Magazine is the Holy Grail. Overseen with a finely manicured fist by Miranda Priestly--the most powerful woman in fashion--Runway is a fearsome gauntlet for anyone who wants to make it in the industry. To make Runway the fashion bible of New York and therefore the world, Miranda has let nothing stand in her way--including a long line of assistants that didn't make the cut. It's a job no self-respecting person can survive, yet it's an opportunity a million young women in New York would kill for. A stint as Miranda's assistant could blast-open the doors for recent college graduate Andy Sachs. More college drab than haute couture, she stands alone among the small army of "Clackers" on staff at Runway--superslim fashion divas clacking their stilettos down the halls of the magazine's Manhattan headquarters. But when Andy comes in for the job, it dawns on her that making it in this industry will take more than drive and determination. And her ultimate test stands before her in head-to-toe Prada. Miranda can spin the fashion world like a basketball but has a devil of a time finding and keeping a good assistant. Andy is completely wrong for the job. But she has something the rest of them don't: she refuses to fail. To become the perfect assistant, Andy will need to make herself over in Miranda's image. Soon, much to her boyfriend's dismay, she can talk the talk, walk the walk and never again confuse Dolce with Gabbana. But the more of life she sees through Miranda's eyes, the more she begins to grasp that Miranda's world is a fabulous but lonely one--and that sometimes great success depends on great sacrifice. But at what cost?
'Prada' star on Meryl Streep, being a 'working actress'
Thursday, June 29, 2006; Posted: 9:50 a.m. EDT (13:50 GMT)
NEW YORK (AP) -- Anne Hathaway is growing up fast.
The 23-year-old actress, who got her big break as a klutzy teen in "The Princess Diaries," opposite legend Julie Andrews, has graduated to more serious roles. She was a feisty cowgirl -- and even appeared topless -- in last year's "Brokeback Mountain," and stars alongside another acting luminary, Meryl Streep, in "The Devil Wears Prada," slated for release Friday.
In "Devil," based on Lauren Weisberger's best-selling book, Hathaway plays the beleaguered assistant to the icy, demanding editor (Streep) of a Vogue-like fashion magazine. Swept up in her career, her character goes from geek-to-chic -- trading drab sweaters for designer duds -- but struggles with the price of success.
Hathaway says the movie is a "statement piece" about being a young woman in the work force and what it's like to "learn to make decisions as an adult."
Sporting a bouncy ponytail and thick-framed glasses (which came off for the pictures shot for this article), she sat down with The Associated Press to talk about working with Streep and making adult decisions of her own.
Q: Have you ever had a job as an assistant?
ANNE HATHAWAY: I've honestly been really lucky. My only jobs have been babysitting and acting.
Q: Did you ever dream you'd work with Meryl Streep?
HATHAWAY: Well, of course I dreamed, but you also dream about being president -- the likelihood is slim.
She is just divine. As a human being, she has basically accomplished everything that I want to do ... It's not that she just gets inside the character, she's just absolutely at the center of all of her choices, of the truth of the character. And as an artist, that's what you dream of. Nothing can push her off that. The weather won't affect her, (or) silly things, like someone's cell phone going off. It won't make her lose focus in her character.
And to be around that -- to have been brought into that during our scenes -- I just felt like I was shaving years off my discovery as an actress to realize, "Okay, that's what this feels like." Now I just have to get there myself.
Q: So what got you interested in acting in the first place?
HATHAWAY: My mom (Kate McCauley) is an actress, so I guess she's the one that taught me it was a possibility. For as long as I can remember, I've always played make-believe ... It's something that I've always done, that I've always been comfortable doing.
Q: You've transitioned from family-friendly movies to more mature roles. What do you want to happen with your career?
HATHAWAY: I'd like to be a working actor. I know it sounds very simple, but the importance of that cannot be overstated. It sounds really trite, but there really are no small parts, only small actors. And so as long as I'm a working actor, I can improve. I want to work with people that frighten me and excite me, and characters that I don't believe I'm the best person for the part but I'm still gonna try anyway. Those are my favorite roles.
Q: Do you want to be a movie star?
HATHAWAY: I don't feel comfortable doing movies. It's not what I trained to do. I trained to be a theater actress. You put me on a stage in front of 2,000 people, I know what to do. You put me in front of a camera, I'm like, "Duh" (makes a face). Although I'm still terrified of it -- and I freely admit that I am -- I've kind of grown to love it, and it is it's own art form. It's a lot harder I think than people realize.
(I am) just getting to understand it better. I was thrust into a really lofty, enviable, but isolated position with "Princess Diaries" in that I could carry a film before I really knew if I could act.
Q: What do you do when you're not acting?
HATHAWAY: I'm a pretty boring person. I have a dog that I love, and a boyfriend (real-estate developer Raffaello Follieri) that I love, and friends that I love, and a family that I love. I'm just trying to spend as much time with them as I can. I love reading -- this is just really gonna send you screaming for the hills: my passion is interior decorating. I'm usually at antique fairs and walking around furniture stores in Manhattan or kind of refashioning furniture. My goal for the next 10 years is to get into carpentry, because I really want to learn how to make my own furniture.
Q: You seem to avoid the hard-partying young-star lifestyle. How do you stay out of trouble and the tabloids?
HATHAWAY: I really don't drink, I don't do drugs. I feel like right now I've been given so many opportunities I don't want to mess it up with those things ... I think I was raised in a solidly upper-middle class family who had really strong values and excess was not one of the things that my family put up with. And there's something wildy decadent about the young-star lifestyle, and I just don't really see the point. I got my partying out of my system in college.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Meryl Streep looks like she'd be funny in this movie. I refused to read the book, but maybe I'll watch the movie.
"I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love." - Carrie Bradshaw
"The danger of an adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort" - Paulo Coehlo
Live your life like it's your last day on earth
Life is not how many breaths you take, but how many moments take your breath away.
I went to see this movie today... and I was extremely excited about seeing it. I wish that I would have read the book BEFORE seeing the movie... but, I WILL be purchasing it.
First off..... AMAZING cast. Meryl Streep was, as usual, brilliant. That woman can take any roll, and just fit it as if she IS that person. You just want to hate her in this movie... and yet, love her at the same time. Anne Hathaway did a great job too. The story line was very entertaining, all the way through. I never found myself bored.
Whenever I see a movie, I have different scales that I rate them on. When I really like a movie, I'm happy about it. But, if I walk out of a movie and say to myself, "This is a movie that I WILL be adding to my dvd collection" then I know that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I fell in love with Stanley Tucci in his role as Nigel. I loved him in "The Core" but this movie just really captured me. He has this thing about his... it's his voice, and his subtle movement of face/hand, that I love to watch. At first, you just don't like the guy... because he just comes off as a pretentious jerk-off.... but, as the movie develops, and you watch Nigel and Andy (Anne Hathaway), you find him such a likable and lovable character.
Over all, I give this movie a two thumbs up score, and will definitely purchase the dvd as soon as it's released later this year.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
I saw it this weekend and have to say i was disappointed. The only good thing about this movie was Meryl Streep. And every time she wasn't in the scene, I wanted to take a nap. I like everyone in the cast, MS of course, Stanley Tucci is great in everything he does, Anne Hathaway is good and even mr. Entourage guy whom I've had a crush on since "drive me crazy." But for some reason, they just didn't have it in this movie (except MS). I think it was the shallow storyline and lack of subplots. It didn't really do it for me. I heard the book was much better and I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
"I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love." - Carrie Bradshaw
"The danger of an adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort" - Paulo Coehlo
Live your life like it's your last day on earth
Life is not how many breaths you take, but how many moments take your breath away.
That's true... I've also heard that the book was much better than the movie.
And, I will pick it up, asap, because I did like the movie, and want a good read.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
06-29-2006 05:59 PM
