Inside The Rumored Drama Between Anne Hathaway And Jessica Biel

The equally stunning Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel are two seriously talented women who both found incredible success and fame in Hollywood. Hathaway shot to stardom for her role as Mia Thermopolis in 2001's "The Princess Diaries" and is now a certified A-lister with plenty of credits and accolades to her name, including an Oscar. For her part, Biel has amassed an impressive resume since she rose to fame for playing Mary Camden in "7th Heaven," similarly earning widespread recognition and industry acclaim along the way. In 2010, the actors even shared the screen in the star-studded rom-com "Valentine's Day" alongside the likes of Jennifer Garner and Julia Roberts. Despite their respective careers and (seemingly) good working relationship, the duo supposedly once had serious beef with one another after Biel aired out her grievances over losing a couple of dream roles to Hathaway.

Appearing on the cover of Elle magazine in 2011, the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" star revealed that she had auditioned for Hathaway's role as Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's box-office mega-hit "The Dark Knight Rises." Sources confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Biel was a top contender for the role alongside Keira Knightley and Kate Mara — which, if anything, only made the loss even more painful. "I was gutted," she admitted to Elle (via Page Six). "I mean, to work with Christopher Nolan in that kind of a role..." Additionally, Biel went in for Hathaway's Academy Award-winning role as Fantine in "Les Misérables," but wound up losing out again. 

As Jessica Biel recalled in her 2011 chat with Elle, "I auditioned for Fantine, and I sang 'I Dreamed a Dream.' I didn't get it. And I would have loved it." Losing doesn't feel great. But losing twice in a row to the same person? That has to really suck. Unsurprisingly, Biel was reportedly livid after Anne Hathaway snatched her dream of working with Christopher Nolan in "The Dark Knight Rises." Especially since she was so close to being cast. "[Biel] really thought she was going to get it," a source dished to the New York Daily News in 2012. "But when Christopher Nolan handed the role to Hathaway, she was devastated." Meanwhile, another insider told Star magazine that Biel was hostile towards Hathaway for beating her to her dream roles. In fact, "Ever since, she's been trashing Anne," (via Celeb Dirty Laundry).

As far as how Hathaway perceives their supposed rivalry, a source close to "The Devil Wears Prada" star asserted that she was upset that Biel had even mentioned her name publicly in the first place. She didn't appreciate being labeled the bad guy and, quite frankly, Hathaway was insulted that Biel would even think they were on the same level talent-wise. "In her opinion, Jessica is known for her TV role on '7th Heaven' and blockbuster-type movies like 'The A-Team' that show a limited acting range," as a source spilled to the National Enquirer (via Celebitchy), adding, "Now Anne's ready to take this fight to the next level." 

Notably, both Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel have done very little to quell the swirling rumors about their supposed rivalry. Perhaps it's because they're above the gossip, but it seems that all is well between the two stars regardless. In 2014, the Academy Awards posted a pic to X, formerly known as Twitter, of Biel being photo-bombed by Hathaway while they were hanging backstage at the Architectural Digest Green Room. Biel — who was there to present the Oscar for best original score — seemed to find the move amusing as she posed with her mouth open, pretending to be in shock. Over the photo, the "7th Heaven" alum wrote "Photo Bomb Master!" in reference to Hathaway, who was also one of the show's presenters and is seen with her hands held up high, also posing with her mouth wide open, totally hamming it up. 

The two often cross paths, including at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in 2016, when Hathaway was pregnant with her first child, Jonathan. In 2022, she and Biel were featured in a roundtable chat hosted by Entertainment Weekly where they were joined by fellow A-listers like Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, and Elle Fanning and seemed cordial. It remains unclear whether Hathaway and Biel worked things out in regards to their rumored beef, but it certainly appears that they're on better terms these days. Here's hoping their relationship stays drama-free!