Anne Hathaway Still Can’t Shake Her Regrets About Playing Jane Austen in ‘Becoming Jane’

In the mid-2000s, Anne Hathaway was one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars. ‘The Princess Diaries’ had made her a household name, and she was eager to prove she could take on more serious, prestigious roles.

That ambition led her to ‘Becoming Jane’, a 2007 period romance about the early life of Jane Austen and her rumored love for Thomas Lefroy, played by James McAvoy. Directed by Julian Jarrold and based on Jon Spence’s book ‘Becoming Jane Austen’, the film also featured Julie Walters, James Cromwell and Maggie Smith.

Yet nearly 2 decades later, it remains the performance Hathaway struggles to make peace with. Speaking to The Independent, the actress admitted the film is difficult for her to talk about because she feels she simply didn’t nail the role.

Hathaway has said she believes there was something else she could have done with the character that would have worked better. She struggled to pin down exactly what she would change. Eventually, she admitted that there were a couple of scenes where she felt she was acting too much. It’s a rare moment of candid self-criticism from a star now known for award-winning performances.

The regret feels even more striking given how hard Hathaway worked to land the part. Back in 2007, she revealed that her first audition didn’t go well, and she asked for a second chance. She later joked that her sick chocolate Labrador had kept her up all night before that second audition, which may have helped her performance. She also reportedly turned down the comedy ‘Knocked Up’ to take on the role.

Casting an American actress as one of England’s most beloved authors wasn’t without controversy. Hathaway admitted at the time that there was outrage over her casting and that British audiences only begrudgingly accepted her. To prepare, she fully immersed herself in the role, letting Jane’s personality traits dominate her life for 2 months. The intense commitment took its toll, and she became so ill after filming ended that she was bedridden for a week.

She has also said the exhaustion meant she couldn’t fully enjoy the shoot for ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, which became one of the biggest successes of her career. ‘Becoming Jane’ arrived just 2 years after Joe Wright’s successful ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and it couldn’t match that film’s impact. Released first in the UK on March 9, 2007, it earned approximately $37 million worldwide.

Reviews were mixed. Some critics praised Hathaway’s chemistry with McAvoy and her convincing accent, while others felt her portrayal lacked the spark of Austen’s famously witty heroines. Many fans, however, still hold the film close to their hearts. Over the years, plenty of Austen admirers have defended Hathaway’s performance as warm and moving.

Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett star in an all-new trailer for #Verity. In theaters October 2. https://t.co/niq02J5nO5

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) August 11, 2026

Whatever her feelings about the film, Hathaway’s career only grew from there. She went on to earn critical acclaim and continues to headline major projects, including her new thriller ‘Verity’, which recently opened to around $32 million.

Her honesty about ‘Becoming Jane’ has struck a chord with fans. Many appreciate seeing an established star reflect openly on a performance she wishes she could revisit. For Hathaway, it seems the role remains a lesson rather than a failure. It’s a reminder that even the most successful actors carry a few creative regrets with them.

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