Anne Hathaway has said that Meryl Streep’s performance in the 1982 film *Sophie’s Choice* inspired her to become an actor. Watching Streep, Hathaway imagined herself in the role and thought, “I want to do that”; the example helped shape her focus on acting and on taking challenging roles.

In Alan J. Pakula’s psychological drama, Streep plays Sophie, a Polish immigrant in New York whose traumatic past is gradually revealed. The film, adapted from William Styron’s 1979 novel, earned Streep the Academy Award for Best Actress; she also learned Polish and German for the part. Hathaway later built a varied career spanning comedy, musicals, superhero films and drama.