This article will appear in Vanity Fair Issue 42, on newsstands through October 17, 2023, and includes a special beauty issue that celebrates science and nature joining forces in the world of cosmetics.
If not a revival, then, of course, a flourishing. This is what he’s going through Ann Hatawayicon of the millennium thanks to titles such as The Devil Wears Prada AND Sweet princess and who today, having just turned forty, seems even more beautiful, confident, playful, bold in style and manners.
Radiant with beauty that seems to truly come from something within, call it calm, call it maturity and which for Americans is Anna-Aissance from the union of Anna and Renaissance. Maybe that’s why Shiseido thought about her for the role of the new global representative of the line Life Perfection, a comprehensive anti-aging skin care line of creams, lotions and masks designed to help skin “reach its full potential” by addressing the visible signs of aging, including wrinkles, dark spots and loss of firmness. Products that restore health and vitality, based on scientific research into human potential, a concept that is very close to Anna’s heart. “They ask me to talk about aging, but I don’t know what to say. For me, it’s simply synonymous with life,” she tells us when we meet her in New York for the launch of the line. Dressed in a gold bodice and trousers, with very light makeup highlighting her perfect skin, she is truly impressively beautiful and radiant. He speaks candidly about his relationship with Shiseido and says that it didn’t start out easy, that it took months of meeting, meeting, exchanging ideas, because like everything valuable, it takes time. “I don’t believe in getting a perfect result on the first try.” Today, however, he says he is “thrilled” by the collaboration and the house’s commitment to “beauty that is both effective and sustainable.” When asked what she likes most Life Perfection Hathaway replies, “Because it works,” and says it with the conviction of someone who has put a lot more of his face into this project.
Phrase accompanying the line Life Perfection is that potential has no age. What does this mean to you?
“Usually the word potential is associated with something related to youth. You see the potential in someone when they are just a child and imagine what their work, their passion, will become. But as a 40-year-old woman, I’ve experienced falling in love with different things all the time. I always want to learn something new. I feel like my potential is expanding, even though I’m no longer a little girl. Hence the concept that potential has no age. The idea that every day is the first day to learn or do something new.”
What potential do you think you have today compared to when you were 20?
“I’m calmer. I feel like I can connect with people in a more meaningful way and that makes me very happy. I’ve had a lot of experience so I feel more connected to what I really enjoy. Of course, I’m always open to the unexpected, which means I can enjoy life more personally.”