Anne Hathaway Skips Real Hot Ones Challenge Due Pregnancy

Anne Hathaway had a very spicy plan for the promotion of her upcoming film Verity, but her pregnancy forced her to put it on hold.

The Oscar-winning actress recently opened up about her experience filming a fictional version of Hot Ones for the movie. She revealed that while some of the spicy chicken wings she ate on screen were real, the production team eventually replaced them with fake ones.

Hathaway discussed the unusual experience during an appearance on the Talk of the Townsends podcast on Friday, September 25. While talking about her role in the upcoming adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling thriller, she explained how the idea for the fictional interview came about.

According to Hathaway, an interview with Alex Cooper for Call Her Daddy was already scripted for her character. She then suggested adding another major pop-culture moment to make Verity Crawford feel like an instantly recognizable figure.

Hathaway recalled thinking that a combination of a Gayle King interview and a Hot Ones appearance could create the perfect media presence for her character.

In Verity, Hathaway plays Verity Crawford, a successful writer who becomes paralyzed after a serious accident. Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, played by Dakota Johnson, is later hired to finish Verity’s unfinished book series.

The movie includes Hathaway’s character appearing on a fictional talk show hosted by Cooper before taking part in a Hot Ones-style interview with Sean Evans. During the segment, she is challenged to eat increasingly spicy chicken wings while answering questions.

However, Hathaway wanted the scene to feel as authentic as possible. She explained that she had never personally completed the real-life Hot Ones challenge, which involves celebrities eating 10 chicken wings coated with sauces that become progressively hotter.

The actress said she did not want her first experience with the challenge to happen while she was pretending to be someone else on camera. She compared it to experiencing an onscreen kiss, explaining that certain physical experiences feel more meaningful when they happen for real rather than while portraying a character.

Because of that approach, Hathaway initially ate real wings while filming the scene. She managed the first three wings before the production switched to dummy versions for the remainder of the sequence.

At the time, Hathaway expected that she would eventually have the opportunity to take part in the real Hot Ones challenge while promoting Verity. The appearance seemed like a natural addition to the film’s press tour, especially because the fictional interview had already become part of the movie.

However, her plans changed after she became pregnant.

Hathaway and her husband, Adam Shulman, announced in June that they are expecting their third child. The couple are already parents to two sons, Jonathan, 10, and Jack, 6.

Because of her pregnancy, Hathaway said she was unable to take part in the intense spicy-wing challenge. Her doctor advised her against attempting it, with concerns that the experience could potentially trigger early labour.

As a result, Hathaway still has not completed the famous 10-wing challenge in real life.

The actress appeared to take the situation in good humour, joking that she may finally attempt the challenge next year when she is able to safely take on the increasingly hot sauces.

For now, Hathaway will have to settle for the fictional version she experienced while filming Verity. Although the movie gave her a taste of the famous challenge, her long-awaited real-life Hot Ones appearance remains unfinished.