Since she broke onto the scene with The Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway has taken Hollywood by storm. Her career has spanned nearly every genre of film: She’s done drama, suspense, comedy, romance, and just about everything in between, and she’s done it all in true chameleon fashion, morphing herself into nearly unrecognizable characters every time. (Seriously, we barely recognized her in Eileen.) From her early days of playing a missionary’s fiancée to her stint as a superhero (Catwoman, anyone?), Hathaway has truly played it all, and she’s not slowing down anytime soon—she was recently tapped to play the lead in Colleen Hoover’s Verity adaptation.
If you’re unsure where to start in her growing film catalog, don't fret: We’ve gone through her filmography to rank her best roles. Below, find the best Anne Hathaway roles, ranked.
36. 'Don Jon' (2013)
Honestly, we completely forgot Anne Hathaway was even in this movie. She basically has a glorified cameo, playing an actress in a movie that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson's characters go to see. She does have a ton of chemistry with Channing Tatum, though! (Who knew?)
35. 'Don Peyote' (2014)
This film came and went rather quietly following its 2014 release (and seemingly for good reason). Hathaway is criminally underused, even though she does her best with what she's given. Listen, if you're gonna sell "Anne Hathaway in a stoner movie," we're going to demand a lot more screen time than this.
34. 'The Other Side of Heaven' (2001)
There's a reason you've never heard of this one. An early-career move for Hathaway, the film buries her acting talents in its simplistic, sappy narrative about a young missionary (Ugly Betty's Christopher Gorham) who relays the happenings of his three-year-long mission in Tonga to his fiancée (Hathaway) through his letters.
33. 'Passengers' (2008)
Not to be confused with the other Passengers flick starring Jennifer Lawrence, this movie starring Hathaway and Patrick Wilson is rather generic. Still, our girl does her best as Dr. Claire Summers, a grief counselor working with a group of plane crash survivors.
32. 'Valentine's Day' (2010)
Reuniting with Princess Diaries director Garry Marshall, this 2010 film was meant to be the American version of Love Actually. It's an ensemble film of intertwined stories. (Because life is just one big connected circle, right?) But like most Americanized versions of British films, this one was a flop, and Hathaway's role as a moonlighting phone sex operator is underused. Everyone in this movie deserves more, particularly Hathaway.
31. 'The Hustle' (2019)
We wanted to love The Hustle. With Hathaway starring opposite side-splitter Rebel Wilson and a swindler’s plot akin to Ocean’s 8 (only with Hathaway doing the swindling), it was meant to be great. The expected laughs aren't always there, making this one of Hathaway’s weaker films.
30. 'Song One' (2014)
Hathaway plays a woman who returns to New York to care for her estranged brother (Ben Rosenfield) after he falls into a coma, then meets and falls in love with said brother's favorite musician (Johnny Flynn). It feels like it's been done before, and Hathaway has better movies worth watching.
29. 'Serenity' (2019)
With players like (blonde) Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey in the mix, there’s no question of stellar acting, even if this one's storyline left much to be desired. The script about a man whose ex-wife wants him to do her abusive husband (Jason Clarke) in has quite a few plot holes, and the dialogue isn’t particularly great. But still: A for effort.
28. 'Bride Wars' (2009)
We'd watch anything that pairs Hathaway and Kate Hudson together—even if we don't particularly love the savage way they turn on each other when there's a mixup in booking and their weddings are scheduled for the same day.
27. 'The Cat Returns' (2005)
Hathaway provides the voice for the English-language version of this Japanese animated film about a schoolgirl whose entire world flips upside down when she rescues a cat. She's plenty charming in this early-career role—enough to make us want to live in the mysterious underground world where cats run everything.
26. 'Rio 2' (2014)
Is it better than the original? No. Is it still worth watching? Absolutely. Rio 2 takes Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), Jewel (Hathaway), and their three children out of the titular city and into the Amazon rainforest as these macaw parents attempt to give their children a sense of perspective.
25. 'Get Smart' (2008)
Hathaway is exceptional in this film based on the television series of the same name. But this isn't a vehicle for Hathaway–it's a vehicle for Steve Carell, and she must support him and his character's espionage mission along the way. It's entirely serviceable as a performance, but not her biggest spotlight.
24. 'Hoodwinked!' (2005)
Hoodwinked! retells a classic fairy tale (not unlike another popular Hathaway movie, Ella Enchanted). In this take on Little Red Riding Hood, Hathaway stars as Red, and her voice performance is stellar. Even if you typically leave cartoons to the kids, this one's so adorable, you're bound to love it.
23. 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' (2016)
Hathaway returned as the White Queen for the Alice in Wonderland sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, in 2016. While the film follows the cliche that sequels are rarely as good as the original, Through the Looking Glass gives Hathaway a little more grit, as her squeaky-clean character is revealed to be more flawed than previously imagined. And honestly? It’s refreshing!
22. 'The Idea of You' (2024)
Hathaway took flack for being “too hot” in this modern-day romance about a single mom who finds love with a boy bander after accompanying her daughter to Coachella, but it wasn’t her looks that landed this 2024 film in the middle of our list. The Idea of You is entertaining enough to watch once, but something about the relationship between Solène and Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) left us…wanting.
21. 'The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement' (2004)
In Hathaway's return to the role that thrust her into international stardom, Princess Mia is 21, out of college, and ready to ascend the throne and lead the country of Genovia. The only problem? She cannot become queen without a king—and if she's not married in 30 days, she will forfeit her rightful claim as the country's heir. It doesn't disappoint, however, and we'd bet Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle used this film as inspiration for their own royal weddings.
20. 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)
While it doesn't get much more iconic than Catwoman—and some have credited Hathaway with portraying the best version of the franchise's beloved character—Hathaway feels like an afterthought in this film already packed with stars.
19. 'The Intern' (2015)
As far as Nancy Meyers feel-good flicks go, The Intern is passable, if a little forgettable. Hathaway stars opposite Robert De Niro as the CEO of a start-up with an initiative to hire senior citizens for internships. We spent a lot of time hoping it wouldn't end with De Niro and Hathaway pairing up, and spoiler alert, it doesn't.
18. 'Becoming Jane' (2007)
Though a bit slow at times, Hathaway's turn as Jane Austen is out-of-this-world good. (And the wardrobe! We have been bewitched body and soul by the wardrobe!) Yes, there are times when the biographical plot seems too perfect to be real, but it's definitely a romance film for the ages.
17. 'Colossal' (2017)
Your typical monster movie, this is not. In a nutshell, it's a 90-minute metaphor for toxic masculinity at work. Hathaway stars as Gloria, an unemployed writer with a binge-drinking problem who comes to realize that she's unintentionally causing a giant monster to wreak havoc in South Korea. Casual, right? It's so good, and Hathaway lends the plot the realism it deserves. There's also a not-to-be-missed plot twist.
16. 'Eileen' (2023)
If we learned anything from Witches and Havoc, it’s that we like Hathaway as a baddie, and that’s exactly what she plays in this 2023 thriller. Taking on the nefarious role of psychologist Dr. Rebecca St. John in this book-to-movie adaptation of the popular Ottessa Moshfegh novel of the same name, Hathaway lures a prison secretary named Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie) into a twisted plot for revenge that will change everything.
15. 'Rio' (2011)
We wouldn't have pegged a movie about birds to land in our top 20, and yet, here we are. If you don't enjoy joy, you probably won't enjoy Rio: It's 90 minutes of pure happiness. Hathaway stars as a Spix's macaw named Jewel, and the only thing that could be improved would be if Hathaway were allowed to sing on the film's (already fantastic) soundtrack.
14. 'Havoc' (2005)
Before you rage about how high this one's placed on the list, hear us out: Hathaway's career depended on this movie more than people give it credit for. Without it, she'd still only be Princess Mia of Genovia to most. Havoc allowed her to show people she was way, way, way more than the Disney Princess people believed her to be. The "bored rich teenage girl gets mixed up with the wrong crowd and realizes she may not know everything" trope has been done since, and certainly done better in other iterations, but Hathaway perfectly toed the line of sympathetic and unlikable. Growth!
13. 'Brokeback Mountain' (2005)
This was so much more than the "gay cowboy" movie that it became known as. Yes, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger are mesmerizing, but Hathaway also gave a nuanced performance as Lureen Newsome Twist, a Texas rodeo queen who winds up settling down with Gyllenhaal's Jack. Her part is small in the LGBTQ+ drama, but it was striking enough for Meryl Streep to note: She approved Hathaway for The Devil Wears Prada after watching the scene where Lureen tells Ennis (Ledger) what happened to Jack.
12. 'Alice in Wonderland' (2009)
Tim Burton's take on the classic children's tale is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece (it took home the Oscars for Best Art Direction and Costume Design, and rightly so), but try as she might, Hathaway's sugary-sweet performance as the White Queen takes a back seat to Helena Bonham Carter's red queen and Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter.
11. 'One Day' (2011)
Following a pair of besties played by Hathaway and Jim Sturgess on the day they met over 18 years, this rom-com will hit you in the feels with a third-act twist—and we all know Hathaway does the feels like none other.
10. 'Nicholas Nickleby' (2002)
Remember when Anne Hathaway was doing a ton of period films? This was the beginning of that era in Hathaway's career, and it's by far the best she did. Playing the love interest to the titular Nicholas (Charlie Hunnam, before Sons of Anarchy), Hathaway is marvelous. Heck, we'd fall in love with her, too!
9. 'Rachel Getting Married' (2008)
Hathaway is heartbreaking as Kym, a woman struggling with drug addiction who is on temporary leave from rehab to attend her sister's wedding. Kym and her sister, the eponymous Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), have a dark history from an accident Kym was involved in, making for an uncomfortable, dark film, but Hathaway is a marvel.
8. 'Ocean's 8' (2018)
It had been quiet on the Hatha-horizon for a while before she re-emerged like a phoenix with the breakout performance of Ocean's 8. Proving herself as a comedic tour-de-force in this sharp departure from her more dramatic works, Hathaway killed it as Daphne Kluger, an actress thriving in the false sense of superiority department who the Debbie Ocean's (Sandra Bullock) team plots to rob.
7. 'Love and Other Drugs' (2010)
Anyone who had doubts that Hathaway could do despair and anguish like none other before Les Misérables clearly hadn’t seen her weep in 2010’s Love & Other Drugs. A star-crossed love story between a pharmaceutical rep (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a Parkinson’s patient (Hathaway), this tearjerker sees bumps in the road between the couple inciting ugly sobs from the star like none other. Can you say goosebumps?
6. 'Interstellar' (2014)
Hathaway holds her own against Matthew McConaughey in this space movie about astrophysics, love, wormholes, and fifth dimensions. She delivers a performance that makes this sometimes confusing but visually stunning film a must-see for even non-sci-fi fans.
5. 'Ella Enchanted' (2004)
This comical twist on the traditional Cinderella tale may have taken some liberties from the novel (it's more "inspired by" than a true adaptation), but Hathaway is a true gem as Ella, a young girl under the obedience spell of a well-intentioned witch with bad timing. Forced to do every single command given to her—she literally "holds her tongue" when she's told to—it's a whole lot of lighthearted fun.
4. 'The Witches' (2020)
Anjelica Huston’s performance as The Grand High Witch in 1990’s The Witches was so iconic, it would be 30 years before anyone else dared to take on the part. Leave it to a fearless Hathaway to step up to the plate, and not only do Huston justice but make the glamorous-yet-evil Eva Ernst her own. With a ghoulishly wide grin in place of Huston’s elongated nose and chin and ever-changing accent, she’s arguably the most memorable part of the film. (We also love that she reunited with Stanley Tucci for this flick.)
3. 'The Princess Diaries' (2001)
Ah, the one that started it all. This '00s movie has everything: a makeover montage, Julie Andrews, a music scene featuring a 2000s pop star, and a girl learning she's a princess. There's a reason this movie made Hathaway into a star, and it's because she's so believable as Mia Thermopolis. We're still saying, "SHUT. UP."
2. 'Les Misérables' (2002)
Whether you think Les Misérables is the greatest musical of all time or overhyped, Hathaway forced a collective gasp out of us all with her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream." She even performed the song live-to-tape in a single take. The actress also lost so much weight for the role it made her sick. You see, Hathaway gave everything to the performance—every quiver, every ounce of despair, humiliation, and anger—ultimately earning her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It's all the more fitting, considering that her mother played Fantine on Broadway before retiring to raise a family—talk about coming full circle!
1. 'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006)
Hathaway’s performance in the iconic fashion movie The Devil Wears Prada may not have won her an Oscar, like that of Les Misérables, or even indie cred, like her turn as Kym in Rachel Getting Married, but it was the film that put her on the fashion map, and for that, we’ll always be grateful. No one but Hathaway could’ve made Andy Sachs's sartorial glow-up quite so believable (hello, grown-up Mia Thermopolis) or gone toe-to-toe so perfectly against the inimitable Meryl Streep in her role as Miranda Priestly, and, for that alone, it earns our No. 1 spot.
