Anne Hathaway says The Idea of You is not inspired by Harry Styles or Olivia Wilde

20 March 2024, 17:27

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By Sam Prance

Fans think Anne Hathaway's romance in The Idea of You was loosely based on Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde's relationship.

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Anne Hathaway has shut down claims that The Idea of You is based on Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde's former relationship.

Ever since the original The Idea of You novel came out, fans have drawn comparisons between the book's lead love interest Hayes Campbell and Harry Styles. The best-selling book tells the story of a 40 year-old divorcée called Soléne who falls in love with Hayes, the star of the world's biggest boyband August Moon. Readers think that it was inspired by Harry.

In a 2017 interview, The Idea of You author Robinne Lee told blogger Deborah Kalb that she came up with the idea for the story after "surfing music videos" and being captivated by a singer from a boyband. Robinne then learned that he "often dated older women" and the rest is history. Robinne has since told Vogue that the book isn't about Harry.

Now Anne Hathaway, who plays Solène in the film version, has said that the movie has nothing to do with Harry or Olivia.

Anne Hathaway says The Idea of You is not inspired by Harry Styles or Olivia Wilde. Picture: Prime Video, Neil Mockford/GC Images

Speaking to Extra about whether or not Harry Styles' relationship with Olivia Wilde inspired the film, Anne said: "No, just no." For the record, The Idea of You was written in 2017 long before Harry and Olivia even started dating each other.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Galitzine, who plays Hayes Campbell, was less definitive. He told BuzzFeed UK: "We tried to create a character that felt maybe akin to Harry in the sense that he is a younger man dating an older woman. It was important to create someone who felt new, and original and not a shoddy impersonation of this person that we know."

Discussing what the film is actually about with Extra, Anne explained: "My character had her heart just absolutely smashed by her ex-husband...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."

Anne Hathaway SHUTS DOWN Harry Styles ‘Idea of You’ Rumors (Exclusive)

Anne ended by saying: "So in this relationship, I think she begins thinking it’s just gonna be a bit of fun and then she realises it’s something more, and if she’s gonna actually participate in it, she’s gonna have to let some other things go."

The Idea of You debuts on Prime Video on May 2nd.