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Anne Hathaway added another special achievement to her Hollywood journey as she was officially named a 'Disney Legend' during the D23 event in Anaheim.
She received the honour 25 years after she made her on-screen debut as Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries. While receiving the honour, Anne was very emotional and spoke about how lucky she was to have a career and the opportunities that she received at such a young age. She also remembered the people who helped shape her journey and celebrated the films that have remained so close with the audience over the past decades.
A Disney Legacy That Began With Mia Thermopolis
Hathaway’s journey started with Disney in The Princess Diaries (2001). She debuted as Mia Thermopolis, a normal teenager who one day discovers that she has royal ties and is the princess of Geneva. The film became a favourite amongst teenage girls and helped Anne become a familiar face in Hollywood. She later returned in the 2004 sequel, The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement.
While accepting the Disney Legend's honour, the actor opened up about how growing up in a family where acting, storytelling and imagination were celebrated, encouraged her in the industry. She also thanked people who gave her opportunities early in her career, including the late director Garry Marshall, who cast her as Mia. She also remembered the producers Debra Martin Chase and the late Whitney Houston, who were involved with the film.
Hathaway also remembered her time working with Julie Andrews, who played Queen Clarisse, Mia’s grandmother in the film. She spoke about how working with the legendary actor at just 17 taught her all the important lessons about kindness, patience, humour and hard work.
From The Devil Wears Prada to Global Stardom
In her career, she unlocked another milestone with The Devil Wears Prada. Anne Hathaway played Andy Sachs, who enters the world of fashion while looking for a job in writing, and works for the demanding Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep. The actor returned as Andy again in the sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2, which has earned more than $690 million worldwide.
In the interview with Variety Director David Frankel, who presented Anne with the Disney Legend Award, recalled that the studio had initially wanted another actress to play Andy’s role. He credited Meryl for supporting Anne’s casting as Andy Sachs, after seeing Hathaway’s performance in Brokeback Mountain. Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor, also paid tribute to Anne’s talent, versatility, work ethic and kindness in a video.
Anne Hathaway also made a surprise appearance at D23 to share an update on The Princess Diaries 3. The new film is expected to continue Mia’s story instead of starting the franchise again.
The actor is also enjoying a massive year at the box office. As reported by Variety, Hathaway's 2026 releases, including The Odyssey, Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The End of Oak Street, have taken her combined box office earnings beyond $2 billion. Her upcoming film, Verity, based on Colleen Hoover’s thriller novel, is scheduled to release on October 2.
As told by Anne Hathaway in her interview with Variety about her successful year, she described the experience as pretty overwhelming and exciting. She also expressed her thoughts about how rare it was for an actor to be part of such a variety of versatile films in the same year, making her feel grateful and fortunate about the current phase of her life.
