There’s this rumor going around that Anne Hathaway is trying to be Angelina Jolie. I had never heard the rumor until today, but apparently the rumor was out there. It bothered Anne Hathaway so much she felt she had to respond with an explicit denial. Anne says she loves Angelina, but is only trying copy Angelina’s approach to fame. Showbiz Spy has more:

Anne Hathaway has denied she models herself on Angelina Jolie.

The Devil Wears Prada actress – who recently revealed a fake tan left her “looking like an orange zebra” – says although she admires the Tomb Raider star, she only tries to copy Jolie’s attitude to fame.

She explains, “I love Angelina, I think she is beautiful – but it is not my aim to be just like her. I admire what she does greatly. She uses her fame in a good way – and that is what I hope to do too: to make a difference.”

“Aside from getting a nice table at a nice restaurant and occasionally getting free clothes, fame can begin to seem very empty. And if you do not take certain steps to use it for something good it can really consume you and make you completely self-obsessed.”

From Showbiz Spy

Of course this is being billed as “Anne Hathaway Hates Angelina, Wants Her Dead”. Whatever. What probably happened is Anne got a weird question about Angelina for some reason, and was trying to be polite.

The same thing happened to Brian Cranston, the dad from “Malcolm in the Middle” and the meth dealer in AMC’s “Breaking Bad”. He sat down with Esquire for an interview, and the Esquire guy questioning him is kind of a tool. The way the question and answer is worded, it makes it sound like Cranston thinks Brad Pitt is an utterly untalented actor. Which Cranston really might think, but the wording is weird. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

ESQ: Actors who say they have techniques for “going to their dark place” are bullshitting, right?
BC: Actors are inherently self-centered. We’re trained to focus on who I am. What do I want? Who is in my way? How do I get this? That’s how we’re trained. Unfortunately, that sometimes spills over into real life. But it’s all very subjective. You just try to portray someone beyond the surface, the different layers.

ESQ: So why can you do that and, say, Brad Pitt can’t?
BC: Talent has something to do with it. Opportunity. You will not have an acting career without luck. How can you prepare for that? I love acting because it’s empowering. It empowers me.

ESQ:Who are some actors you admire? Sorry, I hate that question.
BC: Then why are you asking?

ESQ: Because I’m trying to figure out how the guy who played the dad on a cartoony comedy ended up the guy on this show, and those role models might help shed some light.
BC: Well, look at Michael Chiklis: He was on Daddio, and he’s a very good actor, and he had an opportunity for The Shield. Most actors have the chops to do it, but are they going to get an opportunity? Denis Leary. Ted Danson on Damages. Look at what he does.

ESQ: I still don’t accept him as anyone but Sam Malone.
BC: Jason Alexander, a friend of mine, says they will be inexorably tied to those characters. It’s the other side of the double-edged knife. He’s doing everything he can to not associate with that role. I’m very fortunate Malcolm wasn’t as successful as Seinfeld.

From Esquire Magazine

The Esquire guy is a douche, right? The reason Jason Alexander is tied to his “Seinfeld” role is because he’s not a very talented actor and he got lucky once. Ted Danson, on the other hand, is enormously talented, and has had a varied and challenging career post-“Cheers”. I do think Brian Cranston will probably go more the Ted Danson route in his career. He just won an Emmy for his role on “Breaking Bad” and the show is a word-of-mouth hit. But he probably won’t be working with Brad anytime soon.

Anne Hathaway is shown at the airport in Phoenix on 2/24/09. Credit: DZILLA/bauergriffinonline.com. Brian Cranston is shown on 5/3/2004. Credit: PRPhotos