Anne Hathaway reveals miscarriage while in play in which she had to ‘give birth every night’
Anne Hathaway has spoken about suffering a miscarriage in 2015 while acting in a play in which she had to “give birth” every night.
The Oscar-winning star told Vanity Fair her first pregnancy “didn’t work out”, and adding, “I was doing a play and I had to give birth on stage every night.”
The 41-year-old actress was speaking about her one-woman performance in off-Broadway show Grounded – about a pregnant pilot.
The six-week run required her to act going through childbirth every night, and it was during that time she suffered a miscarriage.
Saying she “pretended everything was fine” during the show, she admits she told friends who came to see her backstage as “it was too much to keep it in”.
Hathaway has since gone on to have two sons with husband Adam Shulman.
After welcoming baby Jonathan in March 2016, she announced her second pregnancy in July 2019 in an Instagram post, but also highlighted her past struggles with fertility.
Sharing a photo of her with her baby bump, she wrote: “It’s not for a movie. All kidding aside, for everyone going through infertility and conception hell, please know it was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies. Sending you extra love.”
‘It would have felt disingenuous’
She told Vanity Fair she’d written the message because “given the pain I felt while trying to get pregnant, it would’ve felt disingenuous to post something all the way happy when I know the story is much more nuanced than that for everyone.”
She added she “wasn’t going to feel ashamed” of something that seemed “statistically to actually be quite normal”.
Hathaway said she was later shocked to discover how common miscarriages are.
“I thought, where is this information? Why are we feeling so unnecessarily isolated? That’s where we take on damage. So, I decided that I was going to talk about it.”
She said the reaction to her post “blew my mind,” with women regularly coming up to her in tears, years after she shared the message.
She said: “And I would just hold her, because she was carrying this [pain] around and suddenly it wasn’t all hers anymore.”
‘You don’t always have to be graceful’
She went on: “When it did go well for me, having been on the other side of it, where you have to have the grace to be happy for someone, I wanted to let my sisters know, ‘You don’t have to always be graceful,'” she said.
“‘I see you and I’ve been you.'”
Hathaway’s second son, Jack, was born in November 2019.
Meanwhile, TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has spoken about a miscarriage she suffered more than 20 years ago and welcomes the fact people are talking more frequently about the experience of pregnancy loss.
Lorraine Kelly says women ‘should be allowed to grieve’. Pic: PA
Speaking to Saga Magazine, the 64-year-old said: “Sometimes I wonder what might have been. You’ve got this parallel life that didn’t happen.
“I do remember vividly the time when someone said, ‘Oh this is very common’.
“They were trying to make me feel better, which made me feel worse. I thought, ‘Oh my God, so many people feel like this’.”
‘It didn’t happen for us’
Discussing conversations around miscarriages, she added: “I think it’s good that we are talking about things like this a lot more. We are more open, and you should be. You should be allowed to grieve and go through that whole process the way it suits you.
“Some people don’t want to talk about it, and some do.”
Kelly, who has one grown-up daughter, Rosie, says she didn’t go on to have more children as “it didn’t happen for us,” adding “by the time you realise it’s not happening… I was in my early forties, and just thought our time had passed.”
The Scottish TV presenter will receive a special prize at the Bafta television awards this year in recognition of her four decades in broadcasting.
Hathaway will next appear in thriller Mother’s Instinct, which is out in UK cinemas on Wednesday.
Entertainment
BAFTA Games Awards: Astro Bot tops leaderboard – with psychological horror close behind
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game.
The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods.
But in the end, the critics – some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a “perfect game” – were right as it dominated the awards at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second year running.
Astro Bot. Pic: Team Asobi
Nicolas Doucet with his five awards for Astro Bot. Pic: PA
BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots.
“We’re a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone,” Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News.
“We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it’s really, really nice to go around and ask everyone ‘is that joke fine in your country?’ And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness.”
Among the gongs for Astro Bot was the best game award. Pic: BAFTA
It’s a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes The Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles.
Compared to John Carpenter’s 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters.
Still Wakes The Deep. Pic: Sumo Digital Limited
Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay.
“I’ve been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I’ve never won one,” said Dunbar.
“It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!”
Read more: See full list of winners
Still Wakes The Deep star Karen Dunbar won best performer in a supporting role. Pic: BAFTA
Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II – a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers.
It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems.
“Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for,” said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios.
Helldivers II. Pic: Arrowhead/Sony
From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You’re Here! – a cartoonish, comedy platformer – won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes The Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting.
“I think it’s been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen,” said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project.
Thank Goodness You’re Here! Pic: Coal Supper/Panic Inc
Co-creator James Carbutt added: “Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we’re one of them.”
By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Pic: Ninja Theory
But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year’s win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke has died at the age of 70
The band said Blurke had been diagnosed with cancer, and described his death as a “profound loss”.
He featured on all the Debbie Harry-fronted group’s studio albums since joining a year after their formation in 1975.
Blurke was with the band from their self-titled debut, through their 1978 classic Parallel Lines, to 2017’s Pollinator.
Drummer Burke.
Pic: Reuters
In a statement on Blondie’s Instagram, Harry and the band’s guitarist, Chris Stein, said: “It is with profound sadness that we relay news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Clem Burke following a private battle with cancer.
“Clem was not just a drummer, he was the heartbeat of Blondie.
“His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable.
“Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
“Clem’s influence extended far beyond Blondie, a self-proclaimed ‘rock and roll survivalist’, he played and collaborated with numerous iconic artists.”
Burke in his performance at Festival Estereo Picnic 2023.
Pic: AP
Burke featured on Iggy Pop’s 1982 album Zombie Birdhouse and also performed with Bob Dylan, The Ramones, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and Joan Jett.
The statement went on to say Burke had left an “indelible mark on every project he was part of”.
It added: “We extend our deepest condolences to Clem’s family, friends, and fans around the world. His legacy will live on through the tremendous amount of music he created and the countless lives he touched.”
Burke, who performed on classic tracks such as Call Me, Heart Of Glass and One Way Or Another, made his final live appearance with Blondie last year.
Read more from Sky News:
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Blondie performing during Glastonbury Festival in 2023.
Pic: Invision/AP
Among those paying tribute to him was Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, who said: “I feel saddened that Clem Burke was taken from us so soon.
“May he rest in peace, spectacular drumming, we were friends.”
Nancy Sinatra said: “My heart is shattered. Clem became an icon as a member of Blondie, but he was also an important part of my band, the K.A.B. I was blessed to call him my friend.
“If I ever needed him, he was there. Always. Sending healing prayers and comfort to his widow, Ellen, his family, and all who loved him.”
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