Film news: Anne Hathaway breaks her silence on ‘Yesteryear’ adaptation 

By Sarah Irwin

Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway made her first comments last weekend on her anticipated role in the upcoming adaptation of Caro Claire Burke’s debut novel Yesteryear. 

Published in April of this year, the novel follows the story of “tradwide” social media star Natalie Heller Mills, who is suddenly transported back to the 19th century. 

The novel has already sold nearly one and a half million copies and has spent 17 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. 

The book’s release has received much commentary online, following the rise in social media content creators, who film their lifestyle as homemakers while promoting traditional gender roles – a career the internet has dubbed “tradwife”. 

Anne Hathaway to play the lead role

The novel’s film rights were reportedly sold to Amazon MGM Studios before the book was even released, with Hathaway attached to the project to star and produce the adaptation. 

“I read a draft [manuscript] two years ago, and I knew the intense feeling that I had for it, so it’s been really fun watching people discover it,” said Hathaway at the premiere of her latest film, The End of Oak Street, last weekend. 

“People are just loving it, and I couldn’t be happier for Caro,” continued Hathaway. “And now we just have to do the movie justice.” 

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Not just about tradwives

According to Burke’s editor, central to Yesteryear’s story is the “grand performance of womanhood.”

Speaking to The New Yorker, Burke maintains that her novel is not about hopping on the “tradwife beat” train, but is rather a commentary on performance and misinformation in a digital age. 

Ballerina turned farmer’s wife

One of the most prominent tradwife internet figures is Hannah Neeleman (@ballerinafarm), a Juilliard alum who documents her life married to dairy farmer and pig rancher Daniel Neeleman on their farm in Kamas, Utah.

The account has garnered 10.3 million followers on Instagram and 9.8 million followers on TikTok to date. 

While Neeleman does not personally call herself a tradwife, her content has received significant attention from users who criticise her romanticisation of farm life and her failure to acknowledge the family’s generational wealth and privilege that contribute to their success. 

Businesswomen in disguise 

Much of the criticism for tradwife influencers boils down to their promotion of traditional gender roles while still enjoying the privileges of liberated women. 

These creators make money off of presenting a romanticised reality of homemaking and domestic life that is not only historically inaccurate but also encourages a loss of female autonomy. 

Big changes expected in the film

While no other cast members or a production timeline have been announced yet for Yesteryear’s adaptation, Burke will be an executive producer on the film and is expected to work with the film’s screenwriter Hannah Friedman. 

The author expects that the film will take “creative liberties,” describing the book as needing to become more “exterior” to be suitable for the big screen. 

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