Anne Hathaway tackles a complicated role in the new Apple TV+ series WeCrashed. The series, out Friday, chronicles the rise and fall of WeWork, its charismatic founder, Adam Neumann, and his wife/WeWork Chief Branding Officer, Rebekah Neumann.
Hathaway, who plays Rebekah, tells ABC Audio that while the exec may not seem like the most relatable person, we can certainly identify with "the very human experience of having a goal and falling short of it and what that must feel like."
Built around the idea of flexible, shared office space for tech start-ups, WeWork envisioned expanding that model to homes, schools are more. But after a meteoric rise, WeWork just as quickly all but collapsed. Rebekah is credited with coming up with the mission phrase of WeWork, which was “to elevate the world’s consciousness” -- an aspiration Hathaway thinks Rebekah really believed.
"I think she wants to do good. I think she wants to make the world a better place. And I really do think she believed in the power of We," says Hathaway.
However, a belief Hathaway doesn't share with Neumann is the idea that one person can change the world.
"I believe that you can change yourself and you can be open about that process, but I don't think that the world is going to be saved by one person doing good," she explains. "I think it's going to be saved by all of us doing good."
Hathaway did benefit from picking up one of Rebekah’s habits.
"I do yoga now," she shares. "Rebecca has much healthier habits than I do. So getting to live as her as for the better part of a year wound up being a very good thing for me."