Anne Hathaway Explains Why She Gave Up Alcohol: ‘I Knew Deep Down It Wasn’t for Me’

Hathaway revealed that telling people she was sober used to be difficult for her, but she has since learned to stop judging herself

Anne Hathaway is a sober woman!

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the Devil Wears Prada star, 41, explained why she decided to give up alcohol as part of a personal transformation that she’s had over the past five years.

“I knew deep down it wasn’t for me,” she said of drinking, adding that it was difficult to have to tell people she was completely abstaining initially.

“It just felt so extreme to have to say, ‘But none?’ But none,” she admitted.

Eventually, Hathaway realized something that made her stop being hard on herself for her choice.

Anne Hathaway in Austin, Texas on March 16, 2024. DANIEL BOCZARSKI/GETTY IMAGES

“If you’re allergic to something or have an anaphylactic reaction to something, you don’t argue with it. So I stopped arguing with it,” the Interstellar star said, clarifying that she doesn’t judge anyone who chooses to drink.

“My personal experience with it is that everything is better. For me, it was wallowing fuel. And I don’t like to wallow,” she explained. “The thing that I have faith in is that everybody else is going to have one or two drinks, and by the time everybody gets to two drinks, you’ll feel like you’ve had two drinks—but without the hangover.”

Hathaway’s decision to stop drinking coincided with her adjusting to becoming a mom of two. Her oldest son with husband Adam Shulman, Johnathan Rosebanks, turned 8 on Sunday. Their youngest son Jack is 3.

The Rachel Getting Married star also decided to eliminate other unhealthy habits from her life as much as possible, like social media.

“I make a lot of my lifestyle choices in service of supporting mental health,” she said. “I stopped participating in things that I know to be draining or can cause spirals. I actually don’t have a relationship with myself online.”

The Oscar winner said she’s also learned to be kinder to herself on sets than she was at the height of her fame in her 20s, especially when she’s feeling stressed.

Anne Hathaway. JASON KEMPIN/FILMMAGIC

“I had a horrible anxiety attack and I was by myself and didn’t know what was happening. I certainly couldn’t tell anybody, and it was compounded by thinking I was keeping set waiting,” Hathaway said, remembering a difficult moment on an unnamed set in her 20s.

“Now I feel much safer going to someone in charge, pulling them to the side, and explaining, ‘I’m going through this right now,’ ” she continued. “Most people will sit there with you for the 10 minutes it takes for you to come back down.”