People think my Northern accent sucks, admits Anne Hathaway

Preparation: Anne Hathaway tuned into 'exotic' Emmerdale to fine-tune her northern accent
11 April 2012
The Weekender

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American actress Anne Hathaway has admitted some people think her portrayal of the Yorkshire lead "sucks" in her new film, One Day.

Widely criticised for her attempts at a northern accent in the screen adaptation of the best-selling book, released in British cinemas today, she said she had been under great pressure to do justice to the part of Emma in the slow-burning love story.

Trying to sound authentic in the part was "harder by far" than getting in shape with weight-training, dieting and dance classes to play Catwoman in the next Batman movie, said Hathaway, 28. "The Catwoman thing is no problem," she said.
"But this is more of an interpretation than it is technical skill."

She has also been thought too pretty to play frumpy Emma - a well-loved character in the novel by David Nicholls, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. She said: "A few people say I really suck. People just scowl at me because I'm not their Emma. It was a lot of pressure. Hopefully people who see the movie will see we put as much of the book in there as possible." The Devil Wears Prada star spent hours watching Emmerdale to try to get the accent right for One Day and said the film script moved her to tears on first reading. "I was on a plane over from the US. I burst into tears in my seat, and the hostess said, 'I think you better go to the bathroom to freshen up'. I sat down in there and cried."

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