'The Idea Of You' Is Not Based On Harry Styles, Anne Hathaway Insists

20 March 2024, 16:06 | Updated: 20 March 2024, 16:14

Anne Hathaway has shut down rumours that the upcoming movie 'The Idea Of You' is based on Harry Styles' past relationships with the likes of Olivia Wilde.

The Idea of You is the romantic comedy on everyone's radar right now. Starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, the saucy film follows the unexpected love story of a divorced mother and a pop star in his twenties.

The movie is based off a 2017 book written by Robinne Lee, which is widely believed to be a Harry Styles fan fiction. However, ahead of the film's release Anne has insisted that this is not the case.

• Read more: Nicholas Galitzine And Anne Hathaway Had ‘Immediate Chemistry’ During ‘The Idea Of You’ Audition
• Read more: Who’s In The Cast Of The Idea Of You? A Complete Guide

Although Robinne did reveal in 2020 that the leading man was inspired by Harry, as well as a couple other men who made up her 'dream guy', when asked if the film was about the former One Direction bandmate, Anne simply said: "No, just no."

After her book gained a lot of traction during lockdown, Robinne told Vogue, "this was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles," but admitted that when she found out he had dated older woman "a seed was planted".

People have been quick to assume that the story is linked to the now ended romance between Olivia Wilde and Harry, as there is a ten year age between them. But - as well as the timelines not really working out - Harry has also dated the likes of Taylor Swift, Emily Attack and others who have been older than him.

Robinne emphasised that she intended the book to be about the leading lady's journey to love at an older age. She said: "It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off."

Watch The Idea of You trailer

As the actress, Anne has leant into the story of her character falling in love after divorce, rather than focusing on the habits of a young male pop star. Speaking to Extra, Anne said that to her the movie to her is about "what it takes to recover from a broken heart".

She said: "My character had her heart just absolutely smashed by her ex-husband, and it wasn’t just that her heart that got broken. She invested so much in her family...when her husband does this awful thing to her, she has to wonder if she was ever really loved in the first place, and so that’s a long time to live with that question.”

The highly-anticipated film will be coming to Prime Video on May 2nd.

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