Anne Hathaway Reveals Whether Her New Rom-Com Was Inspired by This A-List Former Couple

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Anne Hathaway‘s upcoming rom-com, The Idea of You, is making waves for its focus on an age-gap couple when a 40-year-old mom falls in love with a 24-year-old boy bander. It’s rare that this type of story ever gets told from the female perspective, but fans are starting to wonder if the movie was based on a very famous A-list romance. Well, Hathaway has the answer for you. 

The 41-year-old Oscar winner addressed the rumors that her character Solène was based on Olivia Wilde and her former relationship with One Direction star Harry Styles. The answer might disappoint a few people who thought they were getting the inside scoop on the former couple’s love affair. “No! Everyone needs to chill,’ she said to E! News at the SXSW premiere. ‘Sorry, I probably shouldn’t be that reactive about it. I just think no.”

Hathaway’s co-star, Nicholas Galitzine, who plays Hayes Campbell, has also downplayed any association with Wilde and Styles, but he gets why people are interested in knowing if they inspired the movie. “It’s funny just because it’s become this thing in of itself,’ he explained. “We have tried to distance ourselves from that, and I think Hayes is such a wonderful character in of himself. There were so many amazing references we used: BTS for a lot of the choreography, which was really great. There’s so many references out there.” Yep, there are tons of references in the film, but not to Wilde and Styles even though the story feels familiar to what played out in the tabloids.

The book, written by Robinne Lee, predates Wilde’s two-year fling with the “Watermelon Sugar” singer. She wrote the story in 2017, long before fans ever thought Wilde and Styles would become an item, so they weren’t the inspiration for the story. But it is fun to look back on their romance which heated up on the set of Don’t Worry Darling. Wilde directed the film with Styles in a starring role just after she broke off her engagement with Ted Lasso star, Jason Sudeikis, 48. Sudeikis insinuated that there might have been some overlap between Styles and his nine-year relationship with Wilde, but that’s never been proven. 

Wilde traveled the globe with Styles, often spotted dancing and singing her then-boyfriend’s hit songs. Their romance eventually hit a snag around the two-year dating mark, and they called it quits in November 2022. A source told People that the “amicable” breakup became necessary because of Styles’ tour schedule and Wilde needing to “focus on her kids and her work in L.A.” It wasn’t a love meant to last forever, but we sure had fun as they took us along for the ride. But remember, The Idea of You, isn’t their relationship story.

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who are dating or married to older women.