Anne Hathaway sets the record straight on whether 'The Idea of You' is about Harry Styles' love life

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Anne Hathaway is correcting fans' assumptions and giving them a different explanation of the inspiration behind her upcoming romantic comedy, 'The Idea of You,' alongside Nicholas Galitzine.

The film adaption, based on Robinne Lee's 2017 novel of the same name about a divorced mother having a brief romance with a younger pop singer, had fans comparing it to Harry Styles' infamous love life.

The 41-year-old 'The Idea of You' star has swiftly refuted rumors circulating that the forthcoming rom-com draws inspiration from the One Direction member's prior, widely-publicized relationship with the elderly Olivia Wilde.

Anne Hathaway discusses fan speculation about 'The Idea of You'

Despite rumors, the Oscar winner recently said that the movie is not inspired by Harry Styles.' romance with Wilde. "No! Everyone needs to chill," she stated to E! News at the SXSW premiere.

"Sorry, I probably shouldn't be that reactive about it. I just think no."

'The Idea of You,' which is based on the same-titled book by Robinne Lee, stars Hathaway as 40-year-old Solene, the owner of an art gallery, who develops romantic feelings for Nicholas Galitzine's character, 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, who is the lead singer of the boy band August Moon.

Hathaway plays 40-year-old divorced mother Solene, who, at her ex-husband's request, brings her teenage daughter (Ella Rubin) to Coachella.

Solene ignites a romantic relationship with the 24-year-old lead singer Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) of a popular boy band.

Following the production of the 2022 film 'Don't Worry Darling,' Styles, 30, began dating director and co-star Olivia Wilde, 40. The former One Direction member caused controversy at the age of 17 when he dated late TV personality Caroline Flack, who was 14 years older than he was.

Hathaway refuted the rumors once more in another interview with Extra. "No, just no,'" she retorted, explaining that the film explores "what it takes to recover from a broken heart."

"My character had her heart just absolutely smashed by her ex-husband, and it wasn’t just that her heart that got broken," the Oscar-winner added.

Hathaway also shared some details about her character, stating that Solene begins their romance with Hayes "thinking it’s just gonna be a bit of fun."

Then Solene "realizes it’s something more, and if she’s gonna actually participate in it, she’s gonna have to let some other things go," explained Hathaway.

Hathaway stated that she had to put everything into the part of Solene. The actress said, "I needed to bring everything to this one."

Nicholas Galitzine also shuts down Harry Styles' love life theory

'The Idea of You' was "never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles," 49-year-old Robinne Lee stated to Vogue in 2020.

"It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole."

However, the actor-author stated that after learning that Styles "often dated older women," Hayes was conceived of as a "Prince Harry-meets-Harry [Styles]."

Galitzine, 29, added that Styles served as an inspiration for his portrayal of Hayes. The 'Red, White & Royal Blue' actor said to Buzzfeed that he and the movie's creators "tried to create a character that felt akin" to the pop singer in real life, particularly "in a sense that he’s a younger man dating older women," per People.

Galitzine later stated to Variety earlier in March that "it’s not a comparison that I’ve ever made," even though after the release of 'The Idea of You,' fans online noticed more parallels between the character Hayes and Styles.

The actor claimed that the fictional Hayes "is a very different character" than Styles. He clarified, "And we want him to exist in his own world."