How Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’ Tour Helped Shape Anne Hathaway’s Performance in ‘Mother Mary’
The Influence of a Pop Icon
David Lowery’s upcoming film Mother Mary features Anne Hathaway in the role of a tormented pop star navigating the complexities of fame and a grand comeback concert. As the film prepares for its April 17 release, director David Lowery has opened up about the unexpected inspiration behind the character’s performance and identity: Taylor Swift.
In a recent interview with Empire, Lowery detailed how he and his team turned to Swift’s 2018 Reputation tour and its accompanying concert film to ground the movie’s musical sequences in reality. “Her Reputation concert film is one of the best concert films ever,” Lowery stated. “It’s truly phenomenal. And for our concert sequences, we looked at that repeatedly. You would not believe the amount of time we were talking about Taylor.”
A Blueprint for Performance and Budget
The influence of the Reputation era extended beyond mere aesthetic inspiration; it served as a practical guide for the production. Lowery explained that the team used the concert film as a template for budgeting and visual effects, particularly when trying to capture the scale of a stadium show on a limited budget.
“We took three songs from Reputation and broke it down, shot by shot, and looked at them like, ‘Okay, if we were doing these, how much would these shots cost to do in visual effects?’ We used that as a budgeting tool, because we didn’t know how to wrap our heads around actually pulling off a stadium concert-show on a minimal budget. We were literally using Reputation as a guide.”
This deep dive into Swift’s performance style helped Hathaway embody the specific pressures and stage presence required of a global pop star. The commitment to the role was so profound that Hathaway even gifted Lowery a beaded bracelet—a hallmark of the Swiftie fan culture—bearing the title “Anti-Hero” upon the film’s completion.
A Star-Studded Production
Mother Mary promises to be a significant cinematic event, boasting an ensemble cast that includes Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, Kaia Gerber, and FKA Twigs. The film’s musical landscape is equally ambitious, featuring original compositions from Charli XCX, Jack Antonoff, and FKA Twigs.
Lowery noted that the connection to Swift’s artistry was a constant presence on set. Both he and Hathaway even attended the Eras Tour in Europe, further immersing themselves in the world of stadium pop. “I definitely brought a lot of Taylor Swift to the table in terms of who Mother Mary was,” Lowery concluded. “I would often be like, ‘Imagine Taylor Swift in 10 or 15 years – that’s sort of who this character could be.'”
