7 Times Birthday Girl Anne Hathaway Played with Our Emotions—and We Loved Her for It

By Jane Asher
Updated Nov 12, 2017 @ 10:15 am
Jim Spellman/WireImage

There's no denying that Anne Hathaway is a very talented actress, and today, she's celebrating her 35th birthday. In honor of the momentous occasion we're taking a look back at all the times she made us ugly cry, from her show stopping on-screen performances, to her tear-jerking Oscar's acceptance speech. She made us weep like children, and we absolutely love her for it.

Hathaway made her major break in Hollywood with the beloved movie, Princess Diaries back in 2001, as the now-legendary Mia Thermopolis, bringing new meaning to the phrase, SHUT UP. She continued to build her impressive resume with a steady stream of blockbuster hits and critically acclaimed films like Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Les Misérables (2012), Interstellar (2014), The Intern (2015), and Colossal (2016).

VIDEO: Our Favorite Anne Hathaway Beauty Moments

Hathaway recently wrapped shooting Ocean's 8, an all-female spin-off of the classic Ocean's trilogy, alongside Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, and Mindy Kaling—aka the dream team.

Happy birthday to the Hollywood mainstay! Take a look at her most tear-jerking moments, on and off the screen, below. 

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1 of 8

Brokeback Mountain, 2005

Focus Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

Hathaway played Jake Gyllenhal's character's wife, Lureen Newsome, in one of the most tragic love stories of our time. Seriously this movie about star-crossed gay lovers still makes us sob, every time we watch. 

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Rachel Getting Married, 2008

Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Hathaway gave a riveting performance, as drug-addict Kym, who comes home from rehab after nine months to attend her sister's wedding—seriously heavy stuff. She was nominated for her first Oscar for the role.

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Love and Other Drugs, 2010

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In this movie—which we thought would be a romantic comedy, but is in fact a very, very sad love story—Hathaway plays Maggie, a Parkinson's Disease patient who falls for Jake Gyllenhal, a drug rep for Pfizer in the 1990s. As Parkinson's has yet to have a cure, you can guess how this movie ends. The ending is more optimistic than heartbreaking, but bring out the tissues anyway, you'll need them for this one. 

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One Day, 2011

Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection

We don't want to give too much away here, as the sadded part of the film doesn't happen until about halfway through, but in this ugly-cry inducing movie, Hathaway and Jim Sturgess star as friends and sometimes lovers Emma and Dexter, who are shown on the same day every year throughout the film. If you need a good cry, this is the perfect movie to watch. 

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Golden Globe Win for Les Misérables (2012)

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Hathaway starred as the ill-fated Fantine, who after getting fired from her job in pre-revolution era France, takes to prostitution to care for her young daughter Cosette. "I dreamed a dream of time gone by..." (sobs uncontrollably). 

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Oscar Win for Les Misérables (2012)

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Her earnest acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress, in which she was clearly on the verge of tears the entire time, had us choking up, maybe even more than her performance itself. 

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Interstellar, 2014

Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

In this tear-jerker of a film, Hathaway played Amelia Brand, daughter of a NASA scientist who, along with Matthew McConaughey and a team of space explorers, set out to find a way for life to continue after the impending demise of Planet Earth. The happy-sad ending had us feeling all sorts of emotions, and had us crying like babies with that final shot of Brand looking hopeful (or sad, we're still not sure) on her new planet. 

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