In PH cinemas September 30
Director Michael Showalter has already worked with Anne Hathaway on a film adaptation of The Idea of You, and from his experience, the actress was immediately at the top of his mind when looking for his Verity Crawford.
Hathaway also serves as a producer for Verity, the big screen adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, and the Oscar-winning actress admits that once she started reading the novel, she couldn’t put it down. “There’s so much propulsive energy to [Hoover’s] books, it’s like eating something really delicious and you can’t quite stop yourself. You just can’t, you want to get to the next page,” she explains. “When I came up for air at the end of it I thought, ‘Oh, I completely understand why people went crazy for this book.'”
Watch the trailer:
Verity is a seductive psychological thriller that revolves around renowned author Verity Crawford, who requests struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) to ghostwrite for her. As Lowen settles in the Crawford estate, she uncovers disturbing autobiographical notes from Verity, which raises concerning allegations about Verity’s husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett). A quest to discover the truth unfolds, as the lines between the truth and fiction blur. Lowen struggles to separate manipulation from attraction, and opportunity from obsession.
Actor Josh Hartnett was amazed about his onscreen wife’s approach to the material, saying, “Annie is one of the most professional actors I’ve ever worked with, she’s very cerebral,” he says. “I find it comforting to be with someone who has a really clear idea of what they want to create with the character, but then she’s also fun, she wants to play as well.”
Dakota Johnson feels like working with Hathaway was a dream come true. “”I’ve always been such a fan of hers and I loved working with her so much,” says Dakota Johnson. “We don’t really say much to each other onscreen, but in between takes we were always laughing and joking and having deep life talks. Or eating hot dogs – she had a hot dog cart brought to set one day, it was great. She’s an incredible producer, and she’s always game to make sure we get the best version of the scene possible.”
As for acclaimed author Colleen Hoover, she thinks that Hathaway has manifested who Verity truly was in her acting. “She nailed it. Seeing all the different roles she’s playing and her range, I feel like this is a great movie to cap off the year of Anne Hathaway,” she says. “Also, The Princess Diaries is my husband’s favorite movie. He loves Anne Hathaway. I was so excited to tell him when she signed on, he and I still just feel like we pinch ourselves every day. It still feels surreal.”
Watch the thrilling story unravel as Verity arrives in Philippine cinemas on September 30.
