Shock and awe struck Katherine Lawrence last weekend when she realized that her longtime best friend Anne Hathaway was actually Oscar-winning actress and famous person, Anne Hathaway.
“I’m just in shock,” says Lawrence, in her studio apartment. “So much of our friendship makes sense now.”
Lawrence’s moment of realization occurred while she was getting brunch with new-ish friend from work, Riley Baxter. Just after ordering, Baxter remarked, “So when were you gonna tell me you’re besties with the Princess of Genovia?” Lawrence had never seen The Princess Diaries, so she didn’t catch the reference.
Baxter, surprised, carefully explained that Anne Hathaway was a world-famous actress. “I mean I knew Anne was an actress,” says Lawrence, “but I didn’t know she was doing that well. I had no idea she was THAT Anne Hathaway.”
Lawrence and Hathaway have known each other for years, and according to Lawrence, “Anne was never the one out of our group of friends that was supposed to be famous. Carly was a great singer, and I’m always coming up with ideas for books. This one totally snuck up on me.”
“She always sang around me, but I was never in awe over her ability to hold a note,” says Lawrence, leafing through photos of the two of them at various black tie galas. “Except for having an immense collection of Tory Burch flats, I honestly never thought of her as anyone special.”
Lawrence and Hathaway lived on the same block growing up, attended middle school together, and were even college roommates. Hathaway’s absence during high school was a result of her frequent shooting schedule, but Lawrence figured she “had mono or something.”
“She never really got any attention from the boys because she was always so busy with extracurricular stuff, which I guess was her doing big Hollywood movies. Honestly, if she weren’t my best friend, I wouldn’t think she was anything special,” noted Lawrence.
According to Lawrence, she begrudgingly sees “regular” Anne whenever she’s in town for lunch. “She’s just one of those friends that you feel obligated to make time for, but in reality they don’t add much to your life,” Lawrence admits. “I guess I should take that a bit more seriously now.”
“She’s always been my closest friend. But it’s weird,” says Lawrence, “I’ve recently seen pictures of her hanging out with my cousin Jennifer. What’s that about?”
