Between a Third Pregnancy and a Career-Defining Year, Anne Hathaway Reveals the Secret Behind Her Protective Performance in The Odyssey
She’s not stopping.
Anne Hathaway just revealed how her real-life motherhood instincts shaped one of her most protective performances yet in The Odyssey. According to PEOPLE, at the film’s London premiere on July 6, 2026, the 43-year-old actress opened up about channeling her own “mama bear” energy into her role as Penelope, the fiercely devoted mother of Tom Holland’s Telemachus.
The movie, which hits theaters July 17, follows Penelope’s struggle to protect her son while her husband, Odysseus (Matt Damon), battles mythic obstacles on his journey home from the Trojan War. With suitors led by Robert Pattinson’s Antinous circling her throne and threatening her family, Penelope’s vigilance becomes her greatest weapon; and Hathaway drew directly from her experiences as a mom to bring that intensity to life.
“I’m a little bit of a mama bear, nothing comes between me and my cubs,” Hathaway told reporters at the premiere. That protective instinct, she explained, became the emotional core of her performance. Penelope isn’t just guarding her son from physical danger in the film, she’s navigating a world where her authority is constantly undermined, her loyalty tested, and her family’s future hanging by a thread.
It’s a role that appears to be deeply personal for the actress
Hathaway is currently expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman. Her pregnancy announcement on June 19 added another layer to an already packed year. The Odyssey marks her third film release of 2026, following Mother Mary and The Devil Wears Prada 2, and she’s got two more projects – The End of Oak Street with Ewan McGregor and Verity alongside Dakota Johnson – wrapped before the year is out.
Throw in a cover appearance for PEOPLE’s World’s Most Beautiful issue in April, and it’s clear Hathaway is riding a career high. But she’s not taking any of it for granted. “I’m at an age and a moment in my career where I know stuff like this doesn’t come around very often, certainly doesn’t last forever, so I’m just gonna surf this wave for as long as it lasts,” she said on the red carpet. “I’m going to enjoy being on my board and then when I fall in the water, that’ll be that moment.”
Hathaway’s ability to juggle motherhood, pregnancy, and a relentless work schedule has left even insiders impressed. A source close to Hathaway told PEOPLE after her pregnancy announcement that her “work ethic is unbelievable,” especially after she powered through a global press tour for The Devil Wears Prada 2 just a month before sharing her news.
“She’s a superhero. She’s having the year of her career and now a baby,” the source said. “It’s pretty incredible.” That same drive is evident in The Odyssey, where Hathaway’s Penelope is both vulnerable and unshakable – a balance the actress seems to be mastering in her own life.
Hathaway’s recent fashion choices have also become part of the conversation
Just days before The Odyssey premiere, she went viral for accidentally wearing a long-sleeve red jumpsuit backward during a press event. According to NBC New York, instead of shying away from the mishap, she leaned into it, posting a lighthearted Instagram video where she laughed at the mix-up. “I did?” she joked, scrolling through screenshots of articles pointing out the error. Then she realized, “I did… I did.”
At the London premiere, she revealed the silver lining of the wardrobe fail: it led her to discover a pregnancy hack she’d never considered before. “I’ve heard from other pregnant women that the maternity hack is if you have to go to an event, you get a dress that has a train and then you wear the train backwards and the train accommodates for the bump,” she said. The trick, she admitted, was a “total fluke” for her, but it’s one she might revisit as her pregnancy progresses.
For the premiere itself, Hathaway opted for a more intentional look
She wore a blue, flowy Dior gown with delicate floral accents, designed by Jonathan Anderson – the same creative mind behind Taylor Swift’s custom wedding dress. The choice felt fitting for an actress who’s spent the year balancing high-stakes roles with the realities of impending motherhood.
The Odyssey places her in a world where women’s power is constantly tested, and Penelope’s resilience mirrors Hathaway’s own approach to this chapter of her life. Between career milestones and personal joy, she’s making it clear that she’s not just surviving the chaos – she’s thriving in it.
The film’s ensemble cast is stacked with talent, including Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel, and Samantha Morton. But it’s Hathaway’s Penelope who anchors the story, a role that feels like a natural extension of the actress’s own journey.
(Featured image: ELLE / Universal Pictures / Syncopy 2026)
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