Anne Hathaway “Will Never Forget” The Audience Reaction To The Idea Of You

The internet was already swooning over Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine’s new rom-com The Idea of You before it premiered at SXSW on March 16, but fans’ enthusiasm still stunned Hathaway on the big night. As she took the stage for a Q&A after the SXSW screening, she was so moved by the audience’s reaction that she could barely speak. Their “responsiveness” had her in tears and made for an experience she’ll “never forget.”

A Reaction Like No Other

The premiere was held at Austin, Texas’ Paramount Theatre on the final night of the SXSW festival. It was “the perfect movie to close out” the experience, according to one festivalgoer on X (formerly Twitter), and much of the crowd seemed to agree. Variety reports that the audience was so enthusiastic that there were “gasps,” “shrieks,” and “deafening” applause when the onscreen couple finally kissed.

When Hathaway took the stage, she was still moved by their reaction. “I can’t talk,” she said, through tears, in Variety’s footage. Luckily, she found her words after a fan yelled, “I love you!” to her. “I love you so much,” Hathaway replied. “You have no idea the gift that you’ve just given us with your responsiveness, by being so connected to every little nuance in this. I will never forget this screening.”

The crowd continued to eat up everything the cast had to say. Hathaway told attendees that she was “thrilled” to star in it because the rom-com — based on Robinne Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name — tells an unconventional story. “For some reason, we talk about coming-of-age stories as being something that happens to you in the earliest part of your life,” she said, “and I don’t know about you, but I feel like I keep blooming.”

More Gratitude And Fan Support

As for her leading man, Galitzine got a lot of love, too. He shared his awe with his followers on Instagram the day after the premiere. “I am absolutely floored so many of you showed up yesterday to support #theideaofyou at @sxsw - such a special night, with such special people,” he wrote. “Thank you x.”

And that wasn’t the end of the audience’s love. His comments quickly filled up with praise for him, Hathaway, and their film. “Congratulations to you all … [It is] already a huge success and I can’t wait to see it,” one fan wrote. Another added, “We are absolutely honored to get the chance to support you [and] adore you and Annie,” and many others chimed in to say how excited they are to watch the movie.

The Idea of You starts streaming on Prime Video on May 2.