Anne Hathaway didn’t mince words as she expressed strong reactions to movies that kill dogs during the press tour for her new movie, “The End of Oak Street.”
The renowned actress said films in which dogs are killed “should automatically be rated R,” which stands for “restricted” and means that the movie contains adult material.
Over the years, Hathaway has spoken up on causes close to her heart, including when she promised to “fight” for LGBTQ+ equality despite the “divided” politics.
Anne Hathaway is advocating for animal safety even in fiction. During the press tour for her new film, The End of Oak Street, she told Complex Pop that movies that feature dogs being killed should be rated R, name-dropping “John Wick,” which stars Keanu Reeves.
“I feel like movies that kill dogs should automatically be rated R,” Hathaway said. “Doesn’t matter if anybody curses, doesn’t matter if there’s violence, if a dog dies, R-rated.”
She continued, “I think everybody’s so traumatized by ‘John Wick,’ because I’ve been seeing those [comments for our movie] like, ‘They better not kill the dog.’ I’m like, ‘Which movies are out there killing dogs that everybody’s scared that we’re just casually doing it in movies now?’”
Anne Hathaway Reassures Fans About Her Movie’s Dog
In “The End of Oak Street,” Hathaway stars as Denise, an aspiring novelist and matriarch of the central family, as Ewan McGregor plays her husband, Greg, alongside Maisy Stella and Christian Convery as their children.
Set in the early ’80s, the story follows the Platt family, who live in a suburban neighborhood that is suddenly transported millions of years back into prehistoric times by a temporal anomaly, forcing them to survive against lethal dinosaurs.
They also have a trusted canine friend named Starbuck, which has left fans worried about his survival.
“Somebody was like, ‘Can you just let the audiences know that, like, it’s all gonna be OK?’” Hathaway said about Starbuck’s fate. “We break rules in this movie; that might not be one of them. Don’t worry.”
Hathaway’s Growing Family Includes Her Dogs
Hathaway and her husband Adam Shulman, who share two children and are expecting a third, have brought dogs into their growing family, per Entertainment Weekly.
The Oscar winner has a chocolate Labrador named Esmeralda, whom she said was with her when she learned of her first Oscar nomination in 2008 for Rachel Getting Married.
“I was with my parents and my dog when I got the news, and we were all overjoyed — although I’m not sure my dog knew what was going on,” she jokingly told PEOPLE in 2009.
They also adopted a mixed spaniel-terrier in 2014 and renamed him Kenobi.
Hathaway might not be wrong, as reports suggest many fans check whether a dog dies before watching the movie.
Anne Hathaway Continues Her Fight For Equality
The Interstellar actress often speaks up about causes close to her heart, such as women’s and children’s rights, animal safety, LGBTQ+ advocacy, gender equality, and abortion rights.
Chosen in 2016 to be a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, she shed light on the tension between celebrating progress and pressing on in the face of ongoing inequality during an address at the commemoration of the 2026 International Women’s Day at the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this year.
“It’s hard to bear the knowledge that the distance between the promise of equality and the experience of it is still so far apart, for so many,” she said.
However, she insisted that celebrating the occasion itself is an act of defiance and must go on.
“Yes, we absolutely do,” she added. “Our celebration today affirms our determination to outlast it.”
Hathaway Promises To Fight For LGBTQ+ Rights
In the buildup to the release of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which she starred in alongside Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, Hathaway touched on the movie’s resonance with people worldwide, including the LGBTQ+ community.
In a conversation with Out, she revealed that she had the community in her heart the whole time she was filming the movie, in which she plays the legendary role of Andy Sachs, a role she first starred in 22 years ago.
She promised to continue the “fight” for LGBTQ+ equality even though the politics surrounding it have become “divisive.”
“I had [the queer community] in my heart the entire time we were filming! I knew who I was doing it for. It’s so obvious to me, the whole concept of equality. It doesn’t make any sense to me that the laws governing human freedom aren’t even applied consistently across the spectrum. I’ll fight until it’s that way, but in my head and in my heart, I know that’s true,” Hathaway told the news outlet.
She added, “This is a film for everyone. I love that there’s a film and there’s a space where we can be thinking about suburban dads and urban gays. We know that they will both love it and find something in it! I feel like, frankly, there’s a lot of money to be made by keeping us divided. It’s really wonderful to offer something for everyone.”
