Anne's Hollywood hustle 'MY CRASH COURSE IN BEING A CON'

Is it OK to lie? As her new drama exposes some dodgy dealings, the actress owns up to a little fib of her own

For Anne Hathaway, "fake it till you make it” is an intriguing idea - and one she has put into action at least once.

When the star auditioned for her role in Brokeback Mountain, she admits she told a sneaky little lie about her horse-riding abilities to secure the part.

“The last question the director Ang Lee asked me was, 'Can you ride a horse?" recalls the Oscar-winning actress. Not wanting to miss out, Anne implied that, yes, she was perfectly adept at harnessing a 450kg beast and riding off into sunset. In reality, nothing could have been further from the truth.

After landing the part, she told herself, 'I have a few weeks to learn, immediately booked herself in for lessons and by the time filming began she could ride well enough

But, she reflects 17 years later, “When I said that to get the part, was it true? It was not. Did I see a path where it could be true? Yes, I did. What's the line? When does that become a con?”

That's a good question, given Anne's role in the acclaimed new drama WeCrashed, currently screening on Apple TV+.

The eight-part show tells the true story of charismatic Israeli-American entrepreneur Adam Neumann, who persuaded investors to pour billions of dollars into his co-working space start-up WeWork.