Julie Andrews reveals her first impressions of her The Princess Diaries co-star Anne Hathaway. Having appeared in a number of highly memorable roles across her career, Andrews is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and has long since established herself as a household name after leading major projects such as The Sound of Music and Disney’s Mary Poppins movie. More recently, Andrews has lent her instantly recognizable vocals to projects such as the Despicable Me franchise, as well as voicing Lady Whistledown in Netflix’s Bridgerton.
2001’s The Princess Diaries saw her take on the role of the Queen of Genovia, with Hathaway starring as her young granddaughter and rightful heir to the throne. Across both The Princess Diaries and its 2004 sequel, The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement, audiences watched Hathaway’s Mia Thermopolis as she adapted to her new life as Genovian royalty. Back in 2019, audiences were delighted when news broke that a third instalment was supposedly in the works. However, Andrews herself recently quashed any hopes for a Princess Diaries 3 movie by sharing that she felt it was now too late to move forward with it.
While sitting down with Vanity Fair to take a retrospective look at her impressive career, Andrews recalls her time working on The Princess Diaries and had some kind words to say about her former co-star, Hathaway. The star shares her first impressions, revealing that, upon meeting Hathaway, she knew immediately that she would be a star. Andrews continues by praising her for her talent and instincts, before calling her “a lovely human being,” revealing that the pair remain “great friends” to this day. Check out Andrews’ full quote below:
It was clear from the very first day of shooting that she was going to be a star, she was incredibly talented, her instincts were so true, she was very, very beautiful and just a lovely human being and it was great fun to watch her growing and learning. I kind of think that I probably was a bit of a mum to her too and we’re great friends.
The Princess Diaries served as Hathaway’s breakout role, with the actor having since appeared in a number of major projects, including Les Misérables and more recently the TV miniseries WeCrashed. Last year, Hathaway took to Instagram to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Princess Diaries, sharing a series of photos from the film, including some of both her and Andrews. Hathaway has previously expressed her desire to revisit the role of Mia and her eagerness to move forward with The Princess Diaries 3, although at this stage a third instalment does not seem likely.
Andrews’ comments about her co-star are incredibly wholesome, and it’s fair to say that praise for Hathaway’s talent is likely to be even more flattering coming from someone of such caliber as Andrews. With The Princess Diaries having provided a welcome dose of nostalgia for audiences in the new age of streaming, The Princess Diaries 3 would likely receive an incredibly warm reception from many, who would enjoy seeing both Andrews and Hathaway reunite on screen. While it remains to be seen whether a third instalment of The Princess Diaries could hit screens someday, it’s fair to assume that Andrews would certainly enjoy getting to work alongside Hathaway once again.
