Theres two types of people in the world; people who like Anne Hathaway and people who like Jennifer Lawrence. Very few like both. Why? Because at the end of the day, even as adults, we choose who we like, not based on skill or talent, but because of who we think we would be friends with. Speaking as a man, there is no way in the world I’d be friends with Anne Hathaway, which invariably means I’m a JLaw fan. Of course we don’t really know these people, but liking an actor personally is almost the same as being a fan of a professional sports team in that it doesn’t make sense. Sure you can like a role that an actor plays, or Lebron James for what he’s accomplishing on the Heat, but wheres the fun in that? Being able to assign an intrinsic value beyond their talent means I now have a stake in the game. If I decide to hate Lebron James (and I do) because of what he does off the court and things he says in interviews, it makes Lebron more interesting, and it gives him some small role in my life to play. The same goes for Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence. I hate Anne Hathaway not for anything that she’s done to me personally, but because hating her gives her more value in my life, the same way liking Jennifer Lawrence gives her more value. At the end of day, Hathaway and Lawrence are the Coke and Pepsi of Hollywood. If you claim to like one and hate the other, you realize you are being a snob over sugar and bubbles right?
I have no good reason not to like Anne Hathaway. Sure I didn’t like her when she hosted the Oscars and sure I think she might be fake, but I have no evidence to substantiate that. She comes off as rehearsed (she’s an actress), and does not seem genuine enough for my liking. Ultimately if I went to high school with her, she would probably be just as disinterested in me as I am in her. She’d be doing plays and taking it all too seriously, while I’d be off doing something stupid with my bros and taking nothing seriously. For those reasons, I love Jennifer Lawrence. When people talk about her, they glow and start talking about how they think they might would be friends. This is what Lawrence is extremely adept at. Outside of her roles she comes off as so normal you feel as though you could be friends. Like if you were in high school, she’d be right there with you doing stupid stuff. If you were smart enough to pay attention Lawrence was the girl you should have dated.
Lawrence might be just as rehearsed as Hathaway in her interviews. Her goofiness and affinity for taking shots before and after very important milestones very well might be the function of her recognizing that being normal is the best marketing tool she has. I do know full well that if I ever met either actress, they would probably be equally as disinterested in me, but the high schooler in me (that sounds weird) would probably still think he has a chance. So at the end of the day, a version of myself that hasn’t existed for the past 10+ years is still calling the shots. So be it. Thinking about Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence in this way make that second and third time I watch Les Mis or Silver Linings Playbook just a bit more meaningful. But again, you know it’s just sugar and bubbles right?
