Anne Hathaway near enough blew audiences away with her portrayal of Fantine in the filmic adaptation of the smash hit musical Les Miserables, which was helmed by acclaimed director Tom Hooper. Despite the fact that she went on to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her brief turn as a terminally ill prostitute, and was responsible for what is arguably the film's best and most emotionally harrowing scene (not to mention she can actually sing - sorry, Russell Crowe), Hooper and company weren't originally convinced she was the right choice. So unconvinced were they that Hathaway could play Fantine, in fact, that they initially refused to see her in relation to the role. "I'm just very lucky that at this stage in my career, unless there's really stalwart opposition, I can usually get myself into a room," she said. "Once you're in there, all bets are off. You can change people's minds. I did it, and I've done it before." Hathaway's mother, also an actress, had played Fantine on stage in her younger years, and so - in the actress's own words - she "literally grew up hearing her practicing and singing it." Nice job, Anne.
