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Mindy Kaling had nothing but praise for Anne Hathaway during Elle’s Women in Hollywood Celebration that took place in Los Angeles on Monday, October 17, 2022.
At the event, Kaling looked back on Anne Hathaway’s 2012 interview with former Today show host Matt Lauer, where the latter had questioned Hathaway about an inappropriate paparazzi moment, which he called a “wardrobe malfunction.”
Speaking about Lauer’s statement, Kaling commented:
“First of all, gross. Are you like a lame uncle at Thanksgiving?”
During her speech, Kaling said that while she had always been in awe of Hathaway's acting, it was the latter's ease during an uncomfortable interview that impressed her in particular. She deemed Hathaway's interview response to be the moment when she "fell in love" with the actress.
Anne Hathaway’s interview with Matt Lauer explored
Kaling explained that during a Today show interview from 2012, Lauer had cheekily told Hathaway:
"Anne Hathaway, I’ve seen a lot of you lately."
Lauer then delved straight into the topic of Hathaway’s invasive paparazzi shot, taken by a photographer in such a manner that it was not only unflattering, but also inappropriate.
In her speech, Kaling explained that Lauer had asked the Les Miserables actress what lesson she had learnt from the experience, “as if she was the one who had done something wrong.”
Hathway maintained her composure and responded:
“It was obviously an unfortunate incident. It kind of made me sad on two accounts. One was that I was very sad that when we live in an age where someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment, and rather than delete it and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies the sexuality of unwilling participants. Which brings us back to Les Mis.”
The actress then circled back to her film, Les Miserables, which she was promoting during the interview.
The incident took place years ahead of Lauer being ousted from the show. The anchor was fired in 2017 after NBC received a complaint over “inappropriate s*xual behavior in the workplace.” Former NBC News employee Brooke Nevils alleged that Lauer had s*xually assaulted her in a hotel room during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
What did Anne Hathaway say during the Elle event?
During her speech at the recent Elle event, the actress unapologetically clapped back at the criticism she had received in 2013. For those unaware, the The Princess Diaries actress was on the receiving end of a vitriol of hate after winning an Oscar for her Les Miserables performance.
Several netizens and lauded publications including The New York Times were not in favor of the actress and deemed her to be “annoying,” “too-perfect,” and found her always seeking validation from her critics.
During the Elle event, Anne Hathaway said:
“There is a difference between existence and behavior. You can judge behavior. You can forgive behavior, or not. But you do not have the right to judge – and especially not hate – someone for existing. And if you do, you’re not where it’s at.”
The Devil Wears Prada actress also acknowledged the evening’s other honorees and ended her speech by pointing out that hatred is a learned behavior that can be changed.
