“Mother Mary” goes wide this week, meaning Anne Hathaway fans all over can see their queen transform into a pop music icon. But is she really singing that music?
Directed by David Lowery, the film centers on a singer known as Mother Mary (Hathaway), who reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel) the night before her comeback performance. Of course, they’re estranged for a reason, and their reunion brings up some long-buried wounds.
The film took inspiration from real-life pop icons for the look of Hathaway’s character, including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Madonna and more. It also features new, original songs written by Charli xcx, Jack Antonoff, and the album was produced by FKA Twigs. So, you might find yourself wondering, just how much did Hathaway commit to the role?
Does Anne Hathaway really sing those songs?
Yes, she really does. Hathaway is no stranger to singing on screen — in fact, she even won an Oscar for doing so in “Les Misérables.” According to director David Lowery, Hathaway literally went into a sort of “pop star boot camp” to prepare for this film.
According to Hathaway, it took years for her to fully figure out the voice of the character, and even after the soundtrack was done, she ended up rerecording everything because she wanted to really get it right. Playing Mother Mary also taught the actress that she’s a baritone singer, rather than a soprano.
What other movies did Hathaway sing for?
Longtime Anne Hathaway fans will remember her first showing off her pipes in “Ella Enchanted,” with covers of “Somebody to Love” by Queen and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee.
She also sang in the 2011 animated film “Rio,” where she voiced Jewel the blue macaw. She didn’t have any solo numbers in the film, but was featured on two songs; her voice is on best display in that film in “Hot Wings (I Wanna Party).”
Hathaway was featured on the “Song One” soundtrack in the “Afraid of Heights” track, but that performance came a few years after she won an Oscar for her performance as Fantine in “Les Misérables.” For those unfamiliar, it was a film adaptation of one of the most popular musicals of all time.
That time she took down Kelly Clarkson
Anne Hathaway’s singing also emotionally scarred Kelly Clarkson, but that wasn’t because of the quality. No, this trauma came from embarrassment, and remains a fan-favorite Hathaway singing moment.
In 2022, Hathaway appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and competed against the host in a game of “Sing That Name That Tune.” The premise was simple: the band played a song, and the contestants jumped in and sang when they recognized what song it was. Clarkson struggled a bit, and at point, she begged her band “Can you play a fricking song I’ll know?!”
So, the band played “Since U Been Gone,” Clarkson’s own song. But it was Hathaway who jumped in first, won the point, and crushed the performance.
As a result, Clarkson collapsed to the ground in embarrassment and pokes fun at herself for the flub to this day (the video evidence of the moment doesn’t even exist on the show’s YouTube page anymore).
“Mother Mary” is in select theaters now, and will be in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 24.
