Anne Hathaway Talks ‘Ocean’s 8’ Pressure & Says ‘Wonder Woman’ Was A “Game Changer” For Women

The Summer Movie Season™ is in full swing. We’ve already had superhero films and space operas, and in the coming weeks, we have Pixar, dinosaurs, sequels, and yet another superhero film. Needless to say, there’s going to be plenty of options at the multiplex for those looking for some big budget fare. Actress Anne Hathaway hopes that through all the chaos of summer tentpoles, that people don’t forget about her big movie coming out this week, “Ocean’s 8.”

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In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress talks the film, which features an all-female cast (as opposed to the previous testosterone-fueled franchise entries), and how there’s a lot of pressure around the box office performance.

“I feel that with every film that I’m in because whether I’m one of eight or the only woman in the cast, I feel I’m always repping something bigger than myself. I imagine most actresses feel that way. One of the things that gives me heart is there are a lot of female-driven comedies coming out this summer,” explained the actress about the importance of the all-female cast.

Unfortunately, given Hollywood’s history of “safe bets” and the current culture of either loving or hating everything, the pressure around “Ocean’s 8” to be huge at the box office is daunting. If the film fails to live up to the expectations, similar to the doomed “Ghostbusters” reboot, then you’ll have many people chalking the failure up to the genders of the cast members.

That being said, Hathaway is hopeful:

“‘Wonder Woman’ has been such a game changer for so many of us. Also with Time’s Up, there’s a real impetus within the industry to make these movies and prioritize these, which is really exciting. I don’t know if it’s going to continue. I’m going to work as hard as I can to make sure that it does, and it does require the audience showing up. This aspect of moviemaking does have a political component in that if you believe in gender equality, you have to support female-driven movies because they’re not supported equally in Hollywood yet, and the only thing that’s going to get them equally supported is if they do really well at the box office.”

As for the future of the franchise, with the new cast featuring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, Rhianna, Sarah Paulson, and Hathaway, the actress says it all depends on those box office receipts. However, if the demand is great enough for future installments, she’s game.

“That rests in the wallets of the audience. I hope so! I think that there are so many incredible actresses and women out there who have so much to show. Perhaps they’ve never had the opportunity. I know I got the chance to show a lot more than I ever had with this part so I hope that we get to make a lot more of these and we give a lot of other women time to shine,” says Hathaway.

If you want to express your support monetarily, “Ocean’s 8” opens June 8.