Anne Hathaway Defends "Friend" and Succession Star Jeremy Strong Following Criticism

Ahead of the season three finale of Succession on Sunday, Dec. 12, Anne Hathaway posted a tribute to her "friend" Jeremy Strong and took a subtle shot at a recent article about the star.

By Emlyn Travis Dec 11, 2021 11:41 PMTags
Watch: Anne Hathaway Defends Jeremy Strong Following Criticism

Anne Hathaway is standing up for her serendipitous screen partner Jeremy Strong.  

Ahead of the season three finale of Succession on Sunday, Dec. 12, the Oceans Eight star took to Instagram on Saturday, Dec. 11, to "send some love" to Strong in heartfelt post following his highly-discussed profile in the New Yorker this week. 

"As the week ends, I would like to send some love to Jeremy Strong who I'm lucky enough to have worked with twice and who I am proud to consider a friend," she wrote. "I deeply value his qualities of thoughtfulness, sincerity, authenticity, sweetness, depth, kindness, generosity, as well as his powerful intelligence and extraordinary sensitivity." 

Alongside her tribute, Hathaway posted a black-and-white image of Strong holding his Emmy, which he received last year for his performance as Kendall Roy in the hit HBO show. The pair, who are currently filming the upcoming James Gray-directed drama Armageddon Time, previously worked together on the 2019 film Serendipity

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In addition to complimenting the star, Hathaway called Strong an "inspiring" individual both on and off screen. "He is an incredibly talented and inventive artist who is fully engaged and committed on set, as well as a passionate, open person in life," she said. "I find all of these things inspiring. (oh, and he's fun.)"

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She capped off her statement by congratulating the entire cast of Succession who "crushed this season," and subtly took her own stance against the New Yorker piece, adding, "(for the record, the work is where the story begins and ends for me.)"  

Hathaway joins a growing list of A-listers—including Jessica Chastain, Aaron Sorkin, and Strong's Succession co-star Sarah Snook—who have shared their thoughts on his in-depth acting process since the release of the profile on Dec. 5. 

Chastain, who worked with Strong on Molly's Game and Zero Dark Thirty, was the first to voice her support for the "lovely" actor, calling the article "incredibly one sided" on Twitter. 

"Ive known Jeremy Strong for 20yrs & worked with him on 2 films. Hes a lovely person. Very inspiring & passionate about his work. The profile that came out on him was incredibly one sided. Don't believe everything you read folks," she wrote. "Snark sells but maybe its time we move beyond it."

She was later joined by writer Aaron Sorkin, whose thoughts she shared online on his behalf. In the lengthy post, Sorkin, who worked alongside Strong on Molly's Game and The Trial of the Chicago 7, stated that the answers from his email interview with journalist Michael Schulman, which were included in the article, were used to build a "distorted picture of Jeremy that asks us to roll our eyes at his acting process."

"Jeremy Strong is a great actor and a great company member. There isn't a writer, director or producer on Earth who wouldn't grab at the chance to cast him," the screenwriter explained. Sorkin also shared his alleged answers to Schulman's questions in full. 

Strong's on-screen sister, Sarah Snook, also vouched for him. On Dec. 8, the actress, who plays his sibling Shiv Roy in Succession, told Variety's Awards Circuit podcast that "Jeremy is great." 

"He is a very singular, unique person and actor and he works in a different way than other people," she said. "We all work in different ways. We all have a different process."