# The 1982 movie that convinced Anne Hathaway to become an actor: “I want to do that”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1982-movie-that-convinced-anne-hathaway-to-become-an-actor-i-want-to-do-that/
- Published: 2026-09-30T09:32:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-30T10:58:45+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1982-movie-that-inspired-anne-hathaway-to-become-an-actor/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Meryl Streep’s *Sophie’s Choice* inspired Anne Hathaway to pursue acting.
- Streep won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the 1982 film.
- Hathaway says she was focused on acting, rather than celebrity culture.

## Summary

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.

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