Anne Hathaway lands prestigious Hollywood honour for ‘breathtaking’ performance in The Odyssey

The Oscar-winning actress will be celebrated at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival following a blockbuster year that included The Devil Wears Prada 2 and a reunion with Christopher Nolan.

Anne Hathaway is to receive a prestigious Hollywood award in recognition of her performance in Christopher Nolan’s epic film The Odyssey.

The Oscar-winning actress will be presented with the American Riviera Award at the 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival on 5 February 2027, following her portrayal of Penelope in Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem. The honour will be accompanied by an in-person tribute and conversation celebrating her career.

Roger Durling, executive director of the festival, said: “Anne Hathaway has always impressed me with her theatrical sophistication, unwavering commitment and remarkable versatility as a performer.”

He added: “In The Odyssey, she delivers a breathtaking performance, one that stands among the finest of her career, channeling simmering rage and profound emotional complexity into a portrayal that is at once fierce, vulnerable, poignant and unforgettable.”

The award recognises performers who have made significant contributions to American cinema, with previous recipients including Ethan Hawke, 56, Zoe Saldaña, 48, Mark Ruffalo, 58, Brendan Fraser, 57, and Kristen Stewart, 36.

Other stars to have received the honour include Renée Zellweger, 57, Viggo Mortensen, 68, Sam Rockwell, 58, Jeff Bridges, 76, Michael Keaton, 75, Rachel McAdams, 47, and Patricia Arquette, 58.

Anne’s recognition follows a particularly busy period for the actress, who has appeared in several major productions during 2026, including Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The End of Oak Street and Verity, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel.

Her return as aspiring journalist Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunited her with Meryl Streep, 77, who played formidable fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly in the original 2006 comedy-drama.

The sequel marked another chapter in one of Anne’s best-known screen roles, alongside her Oscar-winning performance as Fantine in the 2012 musical Les Misérables and her portrayal of Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries.

Anne is also set to return as Mia in The Princess Diaries 3, reprising the character who helped establish her Hollywood career in the original 2001 film and its 2004 sequel.

Her forthcoming projects additionally include Ron Howard’s Alone at Dawn and Days of Thunder 2, which is expected to reunite audiences with Tom Cruise, 64, in a follow-up to the 1990 racing drama.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will run from 3 to 13 February 2027, featuring film screenings, filmmaker question-and-answer sessions, industry discussions and celebrity tributes.

Other performers scheduled to receive recognition include Carrie Coon, 45, Mariana di Girolamo, 36, Rosalind Eleazar, 38, Jordan Firstman, 35, Anthony Ippolito, 27, Jaafar Jackson, 30, and Inde Navarrette, 25.

Anne, who turns 44 on 12 November, recently spoke about the demands of promoting five films in a single year, telling Vogue at the September premiere of Verity: “Everything has not been effortless with all the back-to-back press and red carpets. There’s been an army of people behind me at every step, and I’m just really lucky.”

The actress also discussed her third collaboration with Christopher Nolan, 56, following The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, in an interview with Elle earlier this year.

She said: “I hadn’t been on a set with Chris in 12 years. And because I’ve worked so hard in the last dozen years, both as a person and as an actor, I was excited to show him what I’ve been up to.”