And the quote went viral in the media. But Hathaway was later forced to acknowledge that she had made a mistake by revealing De Niro’s little-known secret to the public. The actress, 40, eventually came to regret keeping this secret.

For the unversed, The Princess Diaries star and De Niro previously collaborated on the 2015 film The Intern.

Anne Hathaway in a still from Les Miserables

Anne Hathaway Regret: Spilling a Secret About Robert De Niro’s Love for The Bachelor

It once caught Anne Hathaway off guard when she discussed her experience working with Robert De Niro on The Intern. She was unaware that this casual conversation would lead to unintentional disclosure. The actress previously revealed that De Niro enjoyed watching the enduring ABC reality series The Bachelor. She revealed to Refinery 29:

“The man [Robert De Niro] loves The Bachelor.”

As evidence, Hathaway provided an email that The Deer Hunter actor sent her and The Intern director Nancy Meyers expressing his admiration for the TV series. As per the message:

“’You bet your a*s I’m a big Bachelor fan’.”

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

At the time, the quote went viral in the media. But afterward, Hathaway was compelled to acknowledge that she had made a mistake by revealing De Niro’s little secret to the world. Speaking to Good Morning America, she shared:

“He does not actually like the show.”

Hathaway did not know until much later that De Niro was merely kidding at the time, as she added:

“He was being sarcastic and I don’t understand sarcasm in email form and I told the world that he liked The Bachelor. That was such a bad thing to do.”

The actress, on the other hand, was inspired by De Niro’s dedication to his work and had fond memories of their time together:

“He’s a quiet guy, you know, he’s not a million jokes a minute but he cares about what he does so much. He has such respect for everyone on the crew and he takes so seriously what he does, even if it’s a comedy, and I just loved being around him.”

Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro in ‘The Intern’ movie

Anne Hathaway Discussed Working In The Intern

Despite having a very successful career, Anne Hathaway admitted that she did not choose her film roles with the best intentions. However, The Intern marked the first time in possibly a long time that she chose a role for more positive reasons. She once remarked, according to the Toronto Sun:

“I can not explain why it happened on this movie. But, until now, I’ve made a lot of my movies from a place of insecurity and self-doubt. I got tired of that, so I decided to make one from a more positive place and to feel good about what I was doing and embrace the unknowns … It turns out you can make a movie without non-stop sleepless nights.”

Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro in The Intern (2015)

The plot of this Warner Bros. Pictures production revolves around a 70-year-old widower who, while working as a senior intern at a fashion website, befriends the company’s workaholic CEO. Although The Intern received mixed reviews from critics, the $35 million production budget did not stop it from becoming a box office hit, grossing $195 million worldwide.

You can stream The Intern on Prime Video.