Does anyone have a spare spork they could lend us?
Dorothy foolishly has not stocked the pantry at AustenBlog World Headquarters and we are, unfortunately, fresh out. And Jane knows we need one right now. Not for our eyes this time, but to perform a frontal lobotomy upon ourself so that we might forget the horror that is this interview with Anne Hathaway in Marie Claire. (Thanks to Karim for posting it in comments.)
After much nauseating gushing over her boyfriend, she drops this tidbit:
‘The one time I ever showed up for work hung-over, I did it because there’s a scene in Becoming Jane [the soon-to-be-released Jane Austen biopic in which Hathaway stars] where Jane is stricken with cancer, and the director thought that, even with make-up, I still looked too young and fresh,’ she laughs. ‘But imagine if I was showing up like that to the set of Princess Diaries 2!’
While there is no way to definitively determine of which disease Jane Austen died, based on her letters from the period of her illness and the reminiscences of relatives, a 20th century physician diagnosed Addison’s disease, which affects the adrenal glands and often is secondary to tuberculosis. Some Austen biographers, most notably Claire Tomalin (whose biography of Austen was apparently consulted for this production) and Carol Shields, claim that various kinds of cancer, in Tomalin’s book lymphoma and in Shields’ book breast cancer, were more likely. However, careful study of Jane Austen’s letters and the symptoms of Addison’s disease, not to mention that the diagnosis has been confirmed as best it can be by actual medical practitioners, bring us to the conclusion that the Addison’s disease diagnosis was pretty much spot-on. The confirming fact, for us, is that the symptoms become more intense in times of stress; and it is documented that Jane suffered setbacks in her health shortly after receiving two pieces of shocking news: The failure of her uncle Leigh Perrot to leave the Austen ladies anything in his will, after making promises to do so, and the failure of her brother Henry’s bank. It will be interesting (in the context of the so-called ancient Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times) to see how they handle a “death scene” in this film. And if there is any intimation of death-bed regrets of Tom Lefroy, the screen will be decorated with the Editrix’s Extra Large Diet Coke.
Moving along to a bit more from the article about BECOMING JANE, which we include in spite of our better judgment.
Hathaway also raves about her Becoming Jane leading man, James McAvoy, and says she knew they were soulmates when he leaned in for their first screen kiss. ‘I always tell my male co-stars, “Absolutely no tongue, closed mouth if you can!” which often puts them off,’ she explains. This time, however, it was McAvoy who said it to her. ‘I gave him a high-five and said, “Oh my God, I was just about to say the same thing!”’ Her nickname for him now is ‘Lovely McAvoy’. She admits that her Prada co-stars, Adrien Grenier and Simon Baker, were a bit shocked by her kissing rules. ‘
(She said “no tongues” to Simon Baker? Really? Ah, youth and smooching are wasted on the young.)
‘Maybe they’d never met anyone that in love before,’ she shrugs.
In Winchester Cathedral, Zombie Jane rises up righteous from her restless grave and sets off for Hollywood to eat somebody’s brain for allowing Marianne Dashwood to portray her.
(A cup of brain bleach? Anyone? We’re begging here…)
October 8th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Oh, puh-leeze! And they will probably attribute the cancer to Jane’s being such a heavy smoker. My advise to Ms. Hathaway is, for her next interview, no tongue, closed mouth if you please!
October 8th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
Ms. Hathaway needs to do her research! Good Grief.
And here I was so excited about this movie, seeing that one of my friends was cast as an extra in the dance scenes (as said friend IS a dancer).
:/
October 9th, 2006 at 8:57 am
She’s unbearably sugary, her and her boyfriend.
October 9th, 2006 at 10:00 am
does jane die at the end? i heard its a happy ending.. well we’ll have to wait and see. dont forget to watch on the set of Becoming Jane todaay at 11″15pm on BBC1.
October 9th, 2006 at 11:07 am
Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy soulmates? Like, they’re together? I thought he just got married? Or does she mean “great friends” type of soulmates.
I was ready to forgive Anne for her MADE UP STORY interviews, because that is sorta fed to her by the director and producers &c. But this is Too Much. Not much respect left for her.
October 9th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Since she’s SO MUCH IN LURRRRRRVE with her boyfriend that she wouldn’t let Simon Baker snog her properly (silly bint), I’d say it’s “just friends.”
(Speaking of deathbed regrets, one hopes that Annie doesn’t have any of her own over missed opportunities. ;-))
October 9th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
hehe.. Mags will you be able to record to night the one the set of becoming jane and post it on youtube? since lots of fans want to watch it but cant??
October 9th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Um…no, I’m not in the U.K. Hopefully someone else will record it.
October 9th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
oh ok. thanks anyways
October 10th, 2006 at 10:37 am
did anyone record it?
October 11th, 2006 at 10:37 am
AustenBlog HQ need never be without a spork again.
Stylish enough for Regency sensibilities, yet strong enough to get the job done.
October 11th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Lovely find Heather! That would come in handy indeed.
Ok, Anne Hathaway is not the brightest crayon in the box. And the idea that anyone would even think about going to work hungover (or even getting hungover more than once) makes no sense to me. It certainly dispels the idea that she has often been a victim of type-casting.
But I must defend her right to refrain from Frenching men she does not know and for whom she has no feelings. Some people feel very strongly about kissing others when they’re in a relationship (though not strongly enough to seek another line of work it seems).
And why should any man assume that because a kiss is written in it gives him the right to play tonsil hockey with someone he’s likely just met?
That said, I don’t believe I’m familiar with Mr. Baker’s appearance. But I don’t like the idea of kissing someone just because he’s attractive. Kissing can be very personal. To cheapen it by random application just isn’t my idea of fun. (though admittedly if I’d ever tried random application I might think differently)
October 12th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Heh, I found the tongue thing funny. What if the scene requires tongue? What’s she say, I have a boyfriend? Really, if married people can get over it–men and women alike–why can’t she? And what does this mean for sex scenes? Not that you really have sex, of course.
Anyway, the rest of the article was pretty sickening and I, like everyone else, am troubled by this death scene, least of all because she did it hungover.
Oh well. Maybe we can count on Austen’s ghost to, oh, I don’t know, do something.
October 13th, 2006 at 10:50 am
But they’re ACTING. It’s just ACTING. It’s not like she’s cheating on her precious boyfriend by playing tonsil hockey with cute guys like Simon Baker on a movie set. Why not relax and have some fun with it? (Sayeth the Editrix from a the other side of a couple of decades to the advantage of “Annie.”) Kissing is fun, and it couldn’t be safer than in a situation where someone is going to yell “cut” and you stop.
And I think the titanium spork will come in VERY handy. Many thanks, Heather!
October 13th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Yes, I know it’s acting. I like acting. But if she enjoyed it, it might feel like cheating. When I start my movie career (which of course will be after I win the lottery and join the IceCapades) I don’t anticipate doing those kinds of scenes. I don’t think I’d be comfortable with that. Maybe later in life I’ll change my mind, but Ms. Hathaway and I cannot help our ages at present. You are right Mags: youth is wasted on the young. I’ve always been young and I’ve never appreciated it. I can’t wait to get older and better at everything.
Thanks for the link! I must say Mr. Baker certainly fits the not-bad-at-all descriptor.