Anne Hathaway Recalls ‘Gross’ Request to Kiss 10 Men for a Costar Chemistry Test: I ‘Pretended I Was Excited’

28 comments

1. > “Back in the 2000s — and this did happen to me — it was considered normal to ask an actor to make out with other actors to test for chemistry, which is actually the worst way to do it,” she said.

   > Continued Hathaway, “I was told, ‘We have 10 guys coming today and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them?’ And I thought, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ because I wasn’t excited. I thought it sounded gross.”

   > Hathaway explained that she was “so young,” as well as “terribly aware how easy it was to lose everything by being labeled “difficult.’ ”

   > “So,” she added, “I just pretended I was excited and got on with it. It wasn’t a power play; no one was trying to be awful or hurt me. It was just a very different time, and now we know better.”

2. Ugh we get it! Being an actress is degrading! Now get back in there and kiss for money

3. Haha “now we know better.”
   Wtf?

4. Gross, scummy business in many ways – glad that developments in recent years have exposed this side of Hollywood in hopes that it’ll improve for future actors/actresses.

5. Such bullshyte. You can tell when people have chemistry way before they kiss. It makes it even better when they don’t. Keeps the fantasy going per se.

6. Humiliation ritual

7. I would have been excited about it😭

8. I have noticed that all the young actors and actresses go through tons of shit but kept quiet for money fame and awards. Once they have it, they start talking in their 30s or 40s or when Hollywood considered them not too desirable. I truly believe the system hasn’t changed much, and young now actresses will come forward as their career start to decline a bit . It’s a sad, sad industry

9. That’s brutal. I can see *some* kissing with say the finalist, but a dozen guys? Yuck.

   The question I have is whether it has *really* stopped, or if she’s just gained enough power and fame to not have to go through that. Is there some 20 year old girl out there right now, halfway through a makeout-line of a dozen guys?

10. Ugh. I once worked a casting and clients required the actors to pair up for a chemistry test. This one poor guy was paired with a girl who was having a massive cold sore outbreak. His face turned green. When the pair showed up in the audition studio I turned to the clients and said, “CHANGE OF PLANS! No kissing for this one, let’s do a script read.” 50/50 clients who agreed with my decision vs. pissed because this guy didn’t contract herpes that day.

    Also: Another’s kissing couple’s chemistry was so good that they agreed to immediately go back to her place after the audition 😳

11. “…to see if there’s chemistry.”

    But… they’re actors! How about l”et’s have you act out this scene like you both have chemistry. “
    -That would seem less cringe than what she was required to do.

12. Devils advocate: you can’t really tell who has on screen chemistry until you actually see them do it. Kind of like in real life when you talk to someone seem to have chemistry only for you to kiss and it completely sucks. Actors have been kissing each other for centuries, I think as long as the director is actually serious about casting them, then it’s alright to include it as part of the casting process.

    Edit: 10 seems like a lot though imo

13. She went through with it. Got a check. Cashed it.

    This is why Hollywood does shit like this, they can always find someone willing to sell their soul for a dollar.

14. In all if these recent exposures I only think.. why continue down the road and now come forward when you’re all the way up there?
    It’s literally selling your soul…. I’d love to see these people actually make ethical companies and then get interviewed that they created something like that so the industry changes.. right now it just seems a bit hypocritcal to me

15. Wow. That never came in any chemistry set i had as a kid. 😡

16. She’s notably full of shit, so take this with a grain/bucket of salt.

17. My old dad was against any of my sisters going for this kind of job: acting or modeling. For him, it was prostitution with an extra step.

18. “…to see if there’s chemistry.”

    I understand the logic, and glad it wasn’t some kind of sick hazing to make her feel bad or humiliate her, but there are definitely other ways to see if two actors can have chemistry with each other. While some things in the acting industry are still terrible, I’m glad this wouldn’t fly nowadays.

19. There are so many other ways to do this

20. A test not required for people who can act.

21. This is extra icky/hilarious/unnecessary to me because I’ve been watching so many romance K-dramas lately where the leads have insane chemistry and there’s very little PDA and onscreen kissing. In so many scenes, their depth of feeling is conveyed by standing 5 feet apart and gazing lovingly at each other! It’s like chemistry is the product of good storytelling and acting and not gratuitous make-outs.

22. Actors be acting!

23. As an actress , you do things that you normally don’t, maybe?

24. What did she do to her face

25. Very gross gah damn. So terrible for her and others feeling forced into that position.

26. I mean… I kinda understand the thought process of “these two are gona have to kiss dozens of times so if they can’t , we better figure out early” but also duck that they’re professionals, cast by talent and expect them to do their whole job

27. Would’ve totally eaten a bunch of garlic and onion, first.

28. She has become a whiny souless creature