Anne Hathaway is addressing a viral social media moment with humor and self-awareness after video of her organizing a red carpet photo line made the rounds online this week.
During the premiere for her upcoming film Verity, the Oscar winner stepped up to restore order when photographers became rowdy while attempting to capture a large group shot of the cast. In the viral clip, Hathaway took charge of the carpet, pointing directly at press lines and assigning counting sequences to keep the shoot moving efficiently.
“We are going to start from the left and then we can make our way that way,” Hathaway said in the video, counting out loud for the press pack while pointing her finger to establish order. As Hathaway completed her instructional breakdown, co-star Dakota Johnson deadpanned to the crowd: “And then I’m gonna leave.”
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Hathaway poked fun at her authoritative instinct, admitting that seeing the clip replayed online felt surreal.
Hathaway called the video “the stuff of nightmares,” explaining to Fallon that she inadvertently fell into “mom mode by way of chorus line.”
“I was trying to be helpful. There were so many of us and the photographers were getting upset, and the vibe was changing,” she continued, recalling how the high-energy energy on the carpet prompted her to intervene.
However, the actress admitted that the moment the words left her mouth, she realized how commanding she must have appeared to onlookers. “As soon as [I] was done,” Hathaway recalled thinking, “Oh, no.”
Closing her reflection with a laugh, the actress offered a good-natured apology to the photographers and fans watching online: “I apologize everybody. That girl came out to play last night. Actually, she didn’t come to play. She came for business.”
