Anne Hathaway is a bona fide Hollywood star having appeared in such hit movies as The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted and The Devil Wears Prada. This time around the actor is returning to her romantic roots, proving it’s never too late to find love in The Idea of You on Prime Video.
Based on the novel by Robinne Lee, The Idea of You sees Anne portray Solène Marchand, a 40-year-old art gallery owner, divorcee and single mother to teen daughter, Izzy (Ella Rubin). Solène’s unreliable ex-husband is supposed to be taking Izzy and her friends to Coachella Music Festival in California, where the hottest boy band of the moment - August Moon - will be playing. But, when he cancels, Solène has to step in to chaperone instead.
Backstage at the event, Solène meets Hayes Campbell - played by Nicholas Galitzine, last seen charming the pants off King James I in Sky Atlantic’s period saga Mary & George - the band’s handsome and very charismatic lead singer who, at 24, is almost 20 years her junior.
To Solène’s surprise, Hayes likes what he sees and the pair embark on an intense, clandestine affair played out in fancy restaurants, luxury hotels, concert venues and on private jets. But when the reality of Hayes’s fame and their age gap bites, Solène must decide if she can continue living the dream.
Anne, 41, and Nicholas, 29, tell us more…
What attracted you both to The Idea of You?
Anne: "Solène is very sweet with an unexpectedly sharp sense of humour. She’s at a stage in her life where she's endured a really bad trust trauma - I’ve experienced it myself and it can be hard to recover from - and she’s at a point where she could become bitter and negative about love.
"But then she finds someone without looking and discovers a new gear at an age when society says she's going to disappear. This romance is the last thing either Solène or Hayes expects - but they become the one thing each other needs."
Nicholas: "Often when you read a script, you think the success of a piece will be dependent on casting. But I remember reading this and being able to feel that chemistry, that spark on the page. There's a real bounce to Hayes and Solène. When they're together, there's this flux; they switch each other on."
What draws them to each other?
Anne: "I think it's exciting when a person finds someone they can be intimate with; not just physical intimacy but who they can trust intimately. Watching these two people, who’ve both had their trust taken advantage of, discover that they can be safe and intimate in that way with each other, in addition to getting to explore pleasure, friendship, humour, and all of those really yummy, romantic things, got me really excited."
How did you establish a connection as actors?
Nicholas: "Our first day of filming was pretty epic - we had to cycle through some sand dunes!"
Anne: "That’s right. We went from that to jumping into a freezing cold ocean in Savannah, Georgia, trying to pretend it was France, then our characters got frisky on a beach. All on the first day! Solène and Hayes experience some intense emotions so, as actors, we had to be all in with each other. I’ve made lots of feel-good movies - this is a feel-everything movie!"
How did Robinne Lee’s novel resonate with you?
Anne: "Robinne is an actress herself - in her 20s, she was being sent complex roles. In her 30s, that started to change, and by 40 she was only being sent the same ‘mum’ roles. In Solène, Robinne’s created another example of what a mother can be in our culture."
Why is it important for audiences to see a character like Solène on screen?
Anne: "There’s a trend in society towards believing that women are diminished the longer they're alive - to change this story we have to write our own. This movie is saying, ‘No, thank you’ to that whole narrative, which is refreshing. It's like a different kind of wish fulfilment. It’s not ‘I want to be a princess’ like in The Princess Diaries or ‘I want to work at this company’ like in The Devil Wears Prada. It's ‘I want to exist and I want to feel love’."
Nicholas, we’re told Hayes is loosely based on singer-songwriter - and former One Direction boy band star - Harry Styles. How do you feel about the comparison?
Anne: "I think it’s YOU guys - the media - that keep saying that! Robinne says it's not. Ha, ha!"
Nicholas: "Hayes and Harry certainly have things in common, for sure. I’d be lying if I didn't say I’d looked at Harry as one of many references to help build this character."
Anne: "I’m also a producer on this film and, during the audition process, we saw people from all backgrounds. We weren't looking for someone British, we were looking for Hayes Campbell. At his audition, Nick was Hayes Campbell, so Hayes became British."
Nicholas, what was it like filming the August Moon concert scene at the real Coachella Music Festival?
Nicholas: "I have been sort of flirting with the idea of music for quite a few years now and I fulfilled some childhood dreams there that night. As long as I didn’t stick out like a sore thumb and fall off the stage, I would have accomplished my mission."
And how do the love scenes in this film compare to those in Mary & George?
Nicholas: "In Mary & George, it’s George’s power, his ability to be fluid, charm people and seduce. In this film, female pleasure is the protagonist - we don’t get to see that a lot."
What do you hope people take away from The Idea of You?
Nicholas: "This movie has everything - so much fun alongside deep wells of emotion."
Anne: "I love how, through Solène, the movie is saying that if the opportunity presents itself, for you to heal from past trauma, take it with both hands and don't look back. It’s a wonderful movie about love, trust, intimacy, pleasure, silliness and music. Plus, great clothes, fun concert sequences… and an abundance of British charm!"
Finally, Anne, since making this film, have you become obsessed with any boy bands?
Nicholas: "What about August Moon? Ha, ha!"
Anne: "Growing up, there were artists I was obsessed with. I was mainly into aggressively talented female singer songwriters like Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette. I haven't become obsessed with a boy band yet - but it could happen!"
The Idea of You is available from Friday, May 2 on Prime Video.
