We all want to be seen. But what if it felt like the biggest pop star in the known universe not only saw you during one of her sold-out stadium shows, but, like, literally pointed specifically to you and gave a little wave in the midst of one of her history-making concerts?
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And then followed it up with a note confirming the gesture?
You’ll have to ask Mother Mary star Anne Hathaway to describe how that feels.
During a chat with Stephen Colbert on the Late Show on Wednesday night (April 15), Hathaway revealed that Swift was one of the many A-list inspirations for her tortured pop star in the A24 psychosexual pop drama, describing her friend as an “angel” who floated “over our heads all the time.”
Filmed over several years in Germany, Hathaway said when they finished shooting the concert portions of the movie in Bonn, Swift was close to wrapping up her European Eras swing with three shows in Gelsenkirchen (aka “Swiftkirchen“), one of which the actress snagged tickets to. “She came out on stage and it was like the whole place exploded and she makes the audience feel so loved and she made me feel so loved,” Hathaway gushed.
But also, like, specifically loved, as it turns out.
“And I’m like, ‘oh my God, Annie, you’re so cute. You think Taylor Swift’s waving at you right now,’” she recalled thinking during the concert. “And then somebody tapped me on the shoulder and they said, ‘Taylor wants you to have this.’” Shocked, Hathaway opened a personal note from Swift saying she was happy the star was at the show, adding that she promised to be “enthusiastically waving at you” from the stage.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God! She’s so magical!’,” Hathaway shouted. “She did the thing! And I was right! I am special!”
She noted that director David Lowery is also a huge Swiftie and that his vision for the movie’s concert scenes was heavily influenced by the singer’s 2018 Reputation tour, while Hathaway’s tortured pop star character was inspired in part by Swift’s 2020 Miss Americana documentary. “And how vulnerable she let herself be in that. Pop stars, who we’re so used to seeing in their power and so polished, what happens when they’re in-between moments and they’ve having a moment of metamorphosis which can be so painful,” she said.
Hathaway was already a fan, but after seeing how Swift dealt with the massive spotlight on her in that film, she felt so much empathy for the singer, who, as noted above, she’s pals with.
The character Hathaway portrays in the film is a huge pop star who has been on top for two decades and while she is her own thing, the Oscar-winning actress said inspiration came from listening to everyone from Beyoncé to Gaga, Rosalia, Swift and Lorde, as well as James Blake and Nine Inch Nails.
Mother Mary opens in theaters on Friday (April 17).
Watch Hathaway on The Late Show below.
