Over the years, Anne Hathaway has cemented herself as one of the most versatile actresses in the industry. But it wasn’t always the case, as the actress would once find herself being typecast. Before attaching herself to several critically acclaimed projects, the Les Misérables actress would initially find her footing in Hollywood by playing the lead in Disney’s The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted.
As a result, the actress would find herself being synonymous with playing the typical Disney Princess. But when she was offered to star in another Disney retelling of a classic story, Hathaway decided to reject the offer.
Anne Hathaway rejected the offer to star as Alice in Alice in Wonderland
Before settling down for the role of White Queen, Anne Hathaway was originally offered the opportunity to play the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland alongside Johnny Depp’s Hatter. But considering that the actress was fatigued by the practice of playing the usual princess in Disney movies, Hathaway would drop the offer to play another enticing role in the movie. While speaking with GQ, she explained her reasoning by stating,
“The studio had the Alice script a long time ago and I was approached back then for the part of Alice. I considered it, but felt, what with The Princess Diaries, that I had been there, done that sort of pretty-girl-in-a-fairy-dress role.”
Even though the actress wasn’t allured by the idea of playing the role of Alice, the Interstellar actress was intrigued by the character of White Queen and was adamant about playing it. But despite being the initial choice for the titular character in the movie, Hathaway wasn’t initially considered for the role of White Queen in the movie.
Anne Hathaway wasn’t the initial choice for White Queen in Tim Burton’s eye
Working with Tim Burton was a dream come true for Anne Hathaway, who didn’t back away from commending the Batman director for his unique approach to classic stories. But despite her admiration for the director, the Interstellar star wasn’t the initial choice in Burton’s eye for the role of White Queen. But following scheduling conflicts with the initial actress that was hired for the role, Anne Hathaway would eventually land her desired role. She explained the situation by stating,
“When Tim [Burton] came on board he had the cast he wanted and, of course, that didn’t include me. But the other actress who was marked had scheduling conflicts, so the studio piped up and put me forward.”
Despite being known for bringing his own unique approach to his movies, Anne Hathaway commended Tim Burton for his work ethic and explained that he was always open to new ideas. Even though the movie wasn’t as well received by the critics like Burton’s previous movies, Alice in Wonderland did become a box-office giant and garnered around $1.025 billion.
Alice in Wonderland is available to stream on Disney Plus.
Source: GQ
