Anne Hathaway starred in a remake of "The Witches" in 2020.
Anne Hathaway Is Returning to The Devil Wears Prada — Here Is the Controversy That Followed Her There
Anticipation is building for The Devil Wears Prada 2 ahead of its upcoming release.
The film, set to release soon, will show Anne Hathaway returning as Andrea, with Meryl Streep making a comeback as Miranda Priestly. Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt and other cast members from the first part are set to dazzle the silver screen soon, bringing back the magic of the original 2006 film.
The season 2 will focus on Miranda Priestly, who is approaching retirement. Miranda reconnects with Andy Sachs while facing off against Emily Charlton, her former first assistant now turned rival, played by Emily Blunt.
Apart from the hype the movie is getting for its release 20 years after Part 1, Anne Hathaway is drawing significant attention for her return to the franchise. While Hathaway has maintained her fair distance from controversies, she isn't new to them.Following the 2020 release of The Witches, Hathaway faced backlash from the disability community.
Advocates said that her hands in the film looked like a real condition called ectrodactyly.
What was the Witches' controversy about?
In the 2020 release, Hathaway’s character is shown with three fingers on both hands, a condition resembling ectrodactyly, also known as “split hand.” It is usually recognized by the absence of middle digits on the hand or foot. The film faced massive backlash, according to The Mirror US.
Based on Roald Dahl's 1983 book, the film starred Hathaway as the Grand High Witch, who had three long fingers on each hand, in the story of a young English boy who goes to live with his grandmother after his parents die in a car crash.
The novel and the 1990 film featuring Anjelica Huston depicted the witches with five fingers, and the producers of the new film have faced criticism for being insensitive to disabled individuals.
Anne Hathaway apologizes after getting backlash from disability community
Amid the hate towards the poor portrayal of limb difference, Anne Hathaway issued a long apology. The actress said that she was 'pained' to know that "many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain” over her portrayal of the Grand High Witch.
Anne Hathaway is also in the limelight for her allegedly mocking the Virgin Mary.
According to The Mirror US, Hathaway wrote,, “Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for."
She added, “As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened.”
Promising that she will 'do better', she stressed, "I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better, I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down.”
Beyond the sequel, Hathaway is also attached to upcoming projects including Mother Mary and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.