Hathaway, Johnson and Hartnett Unite for Erotic Thriller 'Verity'

Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett have teamed up for the erotic thriller Verity, an Amazon MGM Studios production that arrives in US and UK theatres on October 2.

Hathaway leads as the title character, an acclaimed and hugely successful writer. After Verity Crawford suffers a debilitating accident, a ghostwriter named Lowen Ashleigh, played by Johnson, is brought in to help complete her book series. Lowen moves in with Verity's husband, Jeremy, portrayed by Hartnett, to finish the work.

Hathaway, who also served as a producer on the film, said the role was far less physically demanding than her recent projects. She noted she had come straight from Mother Mary, a dance-heavy, performance-driven part, and had also shot End of Oak Street during a sweltering Atlanta summer. Discovering that Verity required little more than a nightgown and bed rest, she said, felt like the right choice at the time.

Johnson, whose mother Melanie Griffith and grandmother Tippi Hedren both appeared in psychological and erotic thrillers, said she was not consciously thinking of them while filming. She did cite Hitchcock and Brian De Palma as influences, describing her family's history in the genre as a source of inspiration and a lesson in bravery.

Hartnett and Hathaway also reflected on how their characters' failure to communicate drives the story. Hartnett observed that better conversation could have prevented much of what unfolds, and said the film mirrors a contemporary reluctance to trust the other side of an argument. Hathaway agreed, saying the present moment has heightened a tendency to cast others as villains and to judge entire characters by isolated examples.

Asked about promoting the film while heavily pregnant, Hathaway brushed aside any suggestion of hardship, saying she was happy to do her job and had plenty of support. She also welcomed the strong turnout in cinemas this year, describing it as a post-pandemic, post-strike revival of communal moviegoing. Hartnett closed the exchange with a joke about the industry becoming overly reliant on Hathaway, to which she replied that she would rest soon.

Verity is one of five Hathaway films slated for release in 2026.