Anne Hathaway’s original dream might have been acting, but at one point, she wanted to become a nun.
Many people have grand dreams and ambitions regarding their future careers when they are young. This applies to celebrities as well, as some may yearn for fame and the spotlight, while others envision a more ordinary lifestyle. However, there are also stars like Anne Hathaway who initially aspired to become a nun before finding success in Hollywood.
Prior to her well-known role as the charming yet clumsy Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries, Hathaway was a young woman who once contemplated pursuing a life as a nun. This inclination can be attributed, at least in part, to her upbringing as a Roman Catholic. However, when she was fifteen years old, her connection with the Catholic Church changed because of her beloved brother.
Anne Hathaway Wanted To Be A Catholic Nun
It may be hard to imagine Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway as a nun, like, in real life and not on a film screen. But she reportedly considered the possibility of becoming a nun during her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood.
She had been raised in a Catholic family with “really strong values,” so it is not really surprising to learn she had contemplated this career path at a young age.
However, she has also acknowledged that this contemplation was more of a backup plan in case her aspirations of becoming an actress did not come to fruition.
She once admitted in an interview, “When I was younger, I thought about becoming a nun for a while. You know how it is when you’re growing up and you’re going to be a lot of different things, but I actually wanted to be an actress before I wanted to be nun. The nun was more of a sidebar thing.”
Hathaway admitted while she was keen about entering the Christian order when she was a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, it was more of a “side-bar thing” as she was secretly hoping to achieve her dreams of becoming a celebrity. Apparently, her ambition of being a nun changed though when her older brother came out as gay.
She said of the experience, “I felt like I got a calling from God. But when I realized my older brother was gay, I couldn’t support a religion that didn’t support my brother.”
It is safe to say that she had a strong sense of religious conviction or connection, which she describes as a “calling from God.” However, upon discovering that her brother is gay, Hathaway felt conflicted because her religious community did not offer support or acceptance for his 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual orientation.
Tension can, indeed, arise when personal relationships clash with religious teachings or institutional practices, forcing individuals to reevaluate their beliefs and allegiances.
Anne Hathaway Left Catholicism Because Of Her Brother
Anne Hathaway not only abandoned her aspiration of becoming a nun but also took the step, along with her family, of completely leaving the Catholic Church. Despite their prior strong commitment to Catholicism, they placed higher importance on supporting her brother than on their religious beliefs.
As a result, the family made a joint decision to distance themselves from the Catholic Church and pursue a different spiritual path that offered more inclusivity and personal freedom. This choice reflected their desire for a religious environment where they could feel accepted and be true to themselves.
When asked about their decision to leave Catholicism, Hathaway said, “Well, it wasn’t really like we had a family discussion about it. We didn’t sit around the dinner table and say, ‘Okay, this is the decisive action we’re going to take now.’ It was something we realized we’d all done as individuals, and then it became something we’d done as a family.”
In another interview, Hathaway explained, “The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my elder brother came out.” Talking about the Catholic Church, she said, “Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?”
Despite her family’s adherence to their newly adopted religious beliefs, the actress came to the realization that she did not truly desire to continue following that path either.
After her conversion to Episcopalianism, she ultimately decided that this faith was not the right fit for her. It appears Hathaway went through a process of exploration and self-discovery in her spiritual journey, eventually realizing that her true beliefs and convictions lay elsewhere.
The actress said in the same interview, “So I’m nothing […] I’m forming. I’m a work in progress.”
While Hathaway’s dreams of becoming a nun did not come to life, she has undeniably found great success in the field of acting. Despite not pursuing a religious path, she has made a significant impact and achieved considerable accomplishments in her acting career. She is excelling exceptionally well in her chosen profession.
It is undeniable that Anne Hathaway has had a remarkable and noteworthy career. She has demonstrated her versatility as an actress by successfully portraying both comedic and dramatic roles. Some of her notable performances include Love & Other Drugs, Les Misérables, and The Princess Diaries, which have garnered her acclaim and recognition.
