“Having the ability to do something on my own terms has been good for me.”
Anne Hathaway's love of Instagram comes from more than a desire to showcase pretty pictures.
The 36-year-old actress covers Town & Country's February issue and reveals how Instagram has had a positive impact on her mental health.
“Having the ability to do something on my own terms has been good for me,” Hathaway tells the magazine. “It has allowed me to calm down and communicate in a way that’s more clear.”
Unlike most Instagram users, Hathaway doesn't post her own content, though she does curate it. Instead, the Ocean's 8 star reveals, she sends the photos and captions to someone else, waits an hour or so and then awards her final approval before the post goes live.
“That way I look at it with fresh eyes,” she says. “Because once it’s out there, it’s out there.”
Additionally, Hathaway makes sure not to get sucked in to the seemingly never-ending Instagram feed by utilizing the screen time feature to limit her time on the app to just 15 minutes. That, she says, is "allowing me to focus my intentions."
Though Instagram doesn't seem to contribute to Hathaway's anxiety or stress, other things do. She has found a somewhat unconventional way to combat any negative thoughts.
“Set a timer on your phone, have a candle nearby, and write it all down. You spew it all out. You do not read it,” she recommends. “The timer goes off, you tear it out of the book, and you light it on fire. Literally on fire. All of this energy, this angst, this rage -- everything is smoke.”
Any stress Hathaway would have had has also been limited thanks to her husband, Adam Sculman, and their 2-year-old son, Jonathan.
“When you fall in love in profound ways, either with a child or with a partner, your heart becomes so much more tender,” she notes.
When it comes to her career, Hathaway has made it a point to embrace gratitude and set aside any feelings of inadequacy or fear.
“It’s all temporary -- like, all of it,” she says. “I used to not understand that, and it was a lot harder. A part of me just has to be aware that whatever is going on, however hard it is, whatever it’s asking of me, I’m incredibly lucky to be the one who’s being asked.”
Her peers have certainly picked up on Hathaway's dedication for her craft. Jessica Chastain, who co-starred with Hathaway in Interstellar, tells the magazine about her friend's "movie star" prowess.
“Annie is a movie star, and she could just fall back and play these kind of personality roles, but she doesn’t do that,” Chastain says. “She challenges herself to play characters different from who she is.”
Chastain and Hathaway's fellow Interstellar actor, Matthew McConaughey, also sings Hathaway's praises.
“She’s a nerd for acting in the best way,” he says. “She’s always preparing. Even days before shooting a scene, or late at night on a weekend, she’s seeing the world through some prism of her character’s eyes.”
Hathaway and McConaughey are joining each other on the big screen once more for their new thriller, Serenity, which hits theaters on Jan. 25. Watch the video below for more on the flick:
RELATED CONTENT:
