Anne Hathaway addresses the hate she received during the time of her ‘Les Misérables’ Oscar win.”
She responded, “After the film’s release, I received hate mail and some death threats that have been shared with police. I was told my career in Hollywood would be over and that I was the next Mandy Patinkin, but I was just a small part of a huge legacy. My story was like so many others. I was born in a small-town hospital and raised in rural Florida, I’m a mother of two-and-a-half, have a great family, and have worked hard all my life. The hate mail came from people who wanted to watch me squirm. All I wanted was a chance to work as an actor, a role that audiences will remember forever. I was told I would have an Oscar. My career was like one Hollywood actor taking the stage with the other. The whole thing was so surreal. I went into every room of the theater and said I wasn’t going to take the stage until someone took my part. I was at the Academy Awards with my husband and the whole thing was just surreal. I was just a small part in the story of Les Miserables and I was so grateful to win an Oscar for my performance and to be on the biggest stage in the world.”
She continued, “I didn’t think I’d win. I thought it was one of those things that didn’t happen in my life. I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll go back to Hollywood and I’ll be able to live a normal and happy life.’ I didn’t think I would win an Oscar, honestly. Like any child of a Hollywood actor, I grew up thinking that acting was a dream.”
Spencer and Hathaway became close after the film’s release and Hathaway had to share the role of Fantine with the original star of the film, Anne Hathaway, in order for them to be on the same stage at the Oscars. Hathaway told PEOPLE that she could relate to the film as many of her family members struggled to provide for themselves and their kids. She said that at the same time, she had to battle for her own career and was treated as someone else for a time. “It was very important to me to say yes to