Anne Hathaway delivers her most transformative performance yet in Mother Mary. Discover how this surreal musical drama reshaped her body, mind, and soul—and why it’s being hailed as her boldest role ever.
Anne Hathaway is no stranger to transformative acting. From her Academy Award winning turn in Les Misérables to her iconic role in The Devil Wears Prada. she’s always showed her ability to completely step into the lives of extraordinary people. On her new film Mother Mary she may just have given her boldest and most emotionally open performance.
Directed by David Lowery, and intuitively branded a genre-defying musical-drama, Mother Mary looks at love, loss, faith and fame, through the eyes of a fictionalized pop idol. Very few films tell such a multi-faceted/dimensional story which combines a unique telling, spirituality, rich in emotional rawness. Mother Mary took Hathaway to her physical, emotional, and spiritual limit–and changed her through the process.
In this deep-dive, we will explore Anne Hathaway’s transformation, the story behind Mother Mary, and why it may be called her most daring performance to date.
The Story Behind Mother Mary
At first glance, Mother Mary may seem like another music drama, but it is truly not a typical story. The film chronicles the life of a fictional global pop star (Mary) as she is played by Hathaway–whose fame belies a soul-deep spiritual emptiness, or emotional consistency.
The pressures of celebrity are mounting and Mary begins to unravel her own carefully articulated identity and the personal loss begins to take its toll on her experience.
The film is structured as a surreal odyssey—a mash-up of dazzling musical spectacles, sometimes heavy meta monologues, and sometimes strange symbolic images. David Lowery (The Green Knight, A Ghost Story) directed this visual explosion of aesthetics that resists negotiation between fantasy, religion, and pathos.
Why Anne Said Yes to Mother Mary
Hathaway has always had a penchant for complicated pleasure in a character, but Mother Mary was something else. In interviews, she described the film as both intimidating and exciting, unlike any performance she had done in the past—a surreal, emotionally intense role that demanded extraordinary levels of vulnerability and courage to execute.
She apparently spent months preparing for the winter production, which included voice coaching, movement workshops, and immersive emotional training to instantaeously inhabit Mary’s strained, but available, presence.
The Role That Had Her Changing Inside and Out
Hathaway’s work as Mary was not just physical, but metaphysical; the actress had to work through layers of herself to embody Mary and channel her raw, broken spirit.
This is how that role affected her absolutely in every way:
1. Physically Taxing
Anne Hathaway does not have any formal pop training, but for Mother Mary, she had to become one. Moon Man includes original music written by Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff, and Hathaway had to play the Mother Mary (with the chops of a pop star) and not just sing, but perform with the excitement of a global pop super star.
Hathaway’s rehearsals were incredibly intense. The combination of dances, live singing, combined with long shoots created a perfect storm which took a physical toll. She told me, it was not a goal, but she lost weight during the shoot as an unfortunate side effect of the shooting schedule.
2. Emotionally Raw:
The film’s themes (grief, redemption, spiritual crisis) caused Hathaway to dig into her own emotional history. She emphasized needing to draw from her own painful memories and confront parts of herself that she does not often allow to see the light of day.
One scene, specifically when Mary sings her farewell song to a lost loved one, proved so traumatic that the crew was reduced to tears. It was reported that Hathaway remained in character, between takes, to maintain the journey of emotions.
3. Spiritually Transformative
Interestingly, Mother Mary took Hathaway on a spiritual journey. The script is abundant in religious and mystical imagery, and playing a character that legitimately experiences a resurrection in modern times required the actress to look at her own beliefs.
Fashion, Femininity, and Faith: Symbolic Representation in the Film
Costuming and styling have ample importance in Mother Mary. Hathaway’s wardrobe is angelic and provocative, as Mary is the Holy Mother but also a sexual being in the public eye. The very stark contrast of Mary makes the viewer consider the much more broad and systemic themes of how women identified by society and the media, display themselves.
Critics have even held parallels to Hathaway’s character and true pop stars such as Madonna and Lady Gaga, and how both artists speedily walk the lines between hopelessness and controversy, between devotion and depravity.
Every outfit, every scene, every lyric, represents an abundance of symbolic meaning. The film is a living metaphor of rebirth, for Mary and, in a way, Hathaway too.
Critical Response and Awards Buzz
While Mother Mary has not yet had its wide theatrical release, its initial showings at international film festivals have been received with standing ovations and stellar reviews. With critics calling Hathaway’s performance “career-defining,” “soul-baring,” and the “stuff of Oscars.”
Here’s a sample of what critics have said:
Variety called, “a hypnotic, otherworldly performance that leaves you breathless.”
A New Era for Anne Hathaway
At the age of 42, Anne Hathaway is entering an exciting chapter in her career: one where she seems fearless, experimental, and most importantly, more in control of her narrative. When Hathaway began her career in professional acting, she was very publically cast as the sweet ingenue and was able to work in a few significant dramatic performances, that the end of her teens and up into her 30s would characterize an actress willing to only be sweet. Those days are far behind. Hathaway is taking roles that not only give her a vehicle for performance, but allow her to question her own identity.
The Hollywood Reporter said, “Anne Hathaway exposes herself emotionally; it is a master class in cinematographic vulnerability.”
IndieWire said, “In Hathaway’s hands Mary becomes more than a character and ultimately becomes a reflection of all of us.”
Why Mother Mary Matters
Mother Mary is an example of a risk-taking movie instead of a remake, reboot or safe option. Anne Hathaway is at the center of this risk. Her role as a pop icon seeking salvation is more than a performance. It is a reckoning. It is a revelation.
It is evidence that great art does not just entertain, it transforms. It transforms not just the viewer, but also the artist herself.
FAQs
1. What is Mother Mary about?
A: Mother Mary is a surreal musical drama directed by David Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway as a fictional global pop star who radically changes emotionally and spiritually. The film utilizes a symbolic, genre-bending narrative to examine themes of fame, identity, grief and redemption.
2. Who wrote the music for Mother Mary?
A: The original soundtrack for Mother Mary was written by pop icons Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff. The original music is an experimental pop soundtrack featuring emotional, haunting ballads that reflect the emotional depth of the film’s storyline.
3. Is Mother Mary based on a true story?
A: No, it is fiction. However, Anne Hathaway’s character is inspired by real pop stars, and the film explores the themes of fame, femininity and faith that are universal.
4. What is the difference with Anne Hathaway’s performance in Mother Mary?
A: Hathaway’s performance is profoundly emotional, and physically challenging. She trained to sing and perform live when making the film. To really embody the role, she immersed herself in spiritual iconography as well as achieving one of the most emotionally raw performances of her career.
5. Is Mother Mary a faith-based film?
A: Not really, although, Mother Mary features religious iconography and spiritual symbolism to examine a person going through spiritual crisis, transformation, and ultimately redemption. The portrayal is more around psychological and emotional aspects than a traditional faith-based movie.
6. Did Anne Hathaway sing in Mother Mary?
A: Yes, Anne Hathaway sang in the film. She worked with professional voice coaches and musicians to bring authenticity to a global pop star.