Anne Hathaway Talks About How The Princess Diaries Casting Came About

Along with her acclaimed performances in The Devil Wears Prada, Les Misérables, and The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway will always be remembered for portaying awkward California teen Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries. Released back in 2001, the hit comedy follows Mia, who learns she is heir to the throne of a foreign land. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the time of the film’s release, Hathaway revealed how she landed the career-changing role, describing it as a “dream come true.”

“I only had one audition for it,” the Oscar winner shared, explaining that she was about to leave Los Angeles for New Zealand to work on an independent film just hours before The Princess Diaries auditions were scheduled to take place.

“Back then the film was called The Princess of Tribeca,” Hathaway recalled, adding that she pleaded for an audition when casting directors said she was “a little old” for the role of Mia. After eventually securing an audition, Hathaway was called back for a screen test. “I said ‘That’s fantastic, but I’m going to New Zealand tomorrow. I’m going to be 6,000 miles away, how am I going to do this?’”

Luckily, her audition tape was later sent to Disney — and they “loved it.” Hathaway continued: “I was woken up by the call that I got it, and I was so happy because I really wanted this role. It was really a dream come true.”

After starring in the 2004 sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Hathaway may play Mia once again in a long-awaited third installment, which is reportedly now in development. Speaking in Jan. 2023, Hathaway said it was “thrilling” to see the “level of excitement” for the forthcoming Princess Diaries 3. However, she has not confirmed if she herself will appear in the threequel.

Speaking in 2022, the actor also revealed she is “pulling for” her former co-star Julie Andrews to reprise her role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the third movie. “If there’s any way to get Julie Andrews involved, I think we would make it work. We would go to where she was and put a green screen behind her and just make it happen,” she added.