Anne Hathaway’s appearance on The Tonight Show took an uncomfortable turn after she learned the audience hadn’t read the book that her new film, The Idea of You, is based on.
While on stage with host Jimmy Fallon on Monday, the Les Misérables actress asked, “Has anybody here read the book?”
Silence filled the room as the comedian quickly chimed in: “No, we don’t read. This is The Tonight Show. You want to go to Stephen Colbert if you want to get people to read books. Lame!”
“We do Audible here,” Fallon, 49, quipped.
Hathaway, 41, appeared embarrassed as she covered her face while laughing and taking a moment to compose herself.
She recovered quickly, later adding, “What’s a book?”
Fans praised the Interstellar star in the comments of the clip posted to X, with one writing, “This is seriously so funny I can’t stop thinking about it. Anne is fighting for her life up there and handling it like a pro.”
“Her actual shock in that moment (sic) so good,” another wrote with a laughing face emoji.
“That was a genuinely funny moment from Fallon,” a third added.
Hathaway has spent the week promoting her forthcoming film, which is set to be released on May 2.
While on her press tour, the Princess Diaries star reflected on growing up in the limelight, including some other cringey experiences she had while starting her career.
Speaking to V Magazine earlier this month, she recalled being asked to kiss 10 men to determine if there was chemistry between them.
“I was told, ‘we have 10 guys coming today and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them?’” she said.
“And I thought, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ Because I wasn’t excited. I thought it sounded gross.”
At the time, Hathaway went along with the test to avoid being “difficult”, explaining: “It was just a very different time and now we know better.”
This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.