Anne Hathaway Plays a Pop Star in 'Mother Mary' — Does She Actually Sing the Music Herself?

As America's unofficial sweetheart, Anna Hathaway has a way of nailing pretty much any role she takes on, regardless of the genre. So when she starred in the 2026 psychological thriller music movie Mother Mary as a pop star, fans had questions about her performance. Mainly, does Anne Hathaway sing in Mother Mary?

This is the same actor who stole hearts in The Princess Diaries movies, played an icon in The Devil Wears Prada, and won an Academy Award for Les Misérables. Range is not a foreign concept. Clearly, she has it in her to take on a role like this, but not every actor is a double or triple threat when it comes to other talents.

Anne stars as the title character in Mother Mary, who is a fallen pop star who wants to get back to her former glory. The movie features multiple performances by Anne in character, so there's no denying that she's the one on stage in the film. But as far as Anne actually belting out those songs herself? Apparently, that's legitimate too.

She spoke to Popcast from The New York Times about taking on the role and learning how to sing into a microphone, which was a new concept for her.

"To my horror and dismay, I realized I had no idea how to sing into a microphone because all of my training was onstage, where there's so much projection involved," she admitted. "Pop music is the opposite. It's effortless power, which is not really my thing. I'm, like, all about effort."

Anne even grew up in a musically-inclined household, though according to her, her parents were more about Broadway than pop stars. In that regard, her role in Mother Mary is also different for her. But yes, she does sing in the movie, where she plays a pop star ready to start her comeback performance.

She also sang in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables. It's quite a bit different than playing a Lady Gaga-style pop star in a psychological thriller movie, but that role did earn Anne an Academy Award, and it helped to prove that, in addition to acting, Anne is capable of taking on singing roles when necessary.

Just because Anne welcomes roles where she has to sing most of her lines, don't expect an album any time soon. Or, really, ever. Anne has a work history that involves singing, but she has never released any music of her own.

Anne, she told Popcast, she is "so not a pop star." She also has two kids at home, and filming multiple movies a year is a feat in itself. So for now, fans will just have to hope she takes on more musicals if they want to keep hearing Anne sing in films.