Anne Hathaway Wanted to ‘Tell the Story of a Woman Blooming’ in The Idea of You: ‘Incredibly Moved’

The actress spoke to PEOPLE about the highly anticipated romance film ahead of its premiere at the closing night of SXSW on Saturday

Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in ‘The Idea of You’.

Anne Hathaway may not be dating a boy band member in real life, but that didn’t stop her from finding pieces of herself in her character in The Idea of You.

At the SXSW premiere of the highly anticipated film, an adaptation of Robinne Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name, the actress, 41, tells PEOPLE that both she and her character, Soléne, think of themselves as “adventurous” when it comes to love as she reflects on why making the movie was so important to her.

“In the beginning of the film, the character…she’s really scared of going on that adventure because she’s had such a rough experience with her ex-husband.

And so to me, I was incredibly moved by the opportunity to tell the story of a woman blooming,” Hathaway says.

In The Idea of You, divorcée Soléne finds love in Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine), a boy band member nearly two decades her junior, and Hathaway says it was “a real thrill to be a part of the team bringing this to life.”

“I don’t know why we don’t have more stories about human beings blooming at any age. We’re always coming of age, all the time,” she notes.

Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway at the SXSW premiere of ‘The Idea of You’ in Austin, Texas.

Following the film’s screening at the closing night of the festival in Austin, Texas, Hathaway, Galitzine, 29, and several other cast members including Ella Rubin and Reid Scott — who play Soléne’s daughter Isabelle and ex-husband Daniel, respectively — spoke about the film during a moderated Q&A session.

Hathaway became emotional as she reflected on her character and the audience’s response to the film.

“You have no idea the gift you’ve just given us with your response to this, by being so connected to every little nuance in this,” she said. “I will never forget this screening.”

“I wanted to make this movie because it was a great part and a fun premise, and for some reason, we talk about coming-of-age stories as being something that happens to you in the earliest parts of your life, and I don’t know about you, but I feel like I keep blooming,” she continued to roaring applause.

“And I thought this movie had the ability to do that.”

Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway at the SXSW premiere of ‘The Idea of You’ on March 16, 2024.

The film sees Soléne find love unexpectedly in Hayes after taking her teenage daughter to Coachella when her ex-husband bails on the trip at the last minute.

There is “an instant, undeniable spark” between the two upon their first meeting, and they begin “a whirlwind romance,” per a synopsis.

However, “it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.”

Hathaway said at the premiere that she and Galitzine had something of a “bonding ritual” on their first day on set as they filmed a slew of romantic scenes during a 20-hour day.

“Nick and I had to jump into the freezing cold water and once we both got in there we just looked at each other and we were like, ‘We are doing this, okay.

We are both shivering but we have to make this super sexy.’ And we found our shivery, sexiness together,” she recalled of a moment with her costar and romantic interest.

“And at one point we just looked at each other and we were holding on to each other for dear life for warmth and, I don’t know, but from that moment on, till the last moment some 20 hours later, I just looked at him and I was like, ‘I am in good hands on this one. I’ve got a great partner. We could not have landed better.’

And I still feel that way,” she continued.

Hours before the film’s premiere at SXSW on Saturday, Deadline reported that the trailer for the film, which dropped earlier this month, became the most-watched trailer for an original streaming movie with a staggering 125 million views worldwide.

The Idea of You premieres on Prime Video May 2.