Anne Hathaway Pulled an Andy Sachs and Walked Out of a Major Fashion Shoot

Anne Hathaway is showing solidarity with striking Condé Nast employees as a former, albeit fictional, editorial assistant at Runway, the cinematic recreation of one of the publisher's most iconic brands. And The Devil Wears Prada star's gesture to the union is ... groundbreaking.

Following the news of the 24-hour strike that began on Tuesday, Variety learned that the actress actually walked off the set of a Vanity Fair photoshoot after she caught wind of the stoppage. While she was in the process of getting her hair and makeup done, Hathaway's team was notified of the impending strike by SAG-AFTRA, which recommended that she respect the union's decision.

“They hadn’t even started taking photos yet,” a source told Variety. “Once Anne was made aware of what was going on, she just got up from hair and makeup and left.”

On Tuesday, nearly 400 employees from popular brands including Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Allure, Condé Nast Entertainment, Architectural Digest, Glamour, Self, Teen Vogue, and more protested outside the company's New York City office after the its layoff plan was announced. CNN reports that the walkout purposefully coincided with the broadcast of the 2024 Oscar nominations, which took place this morning at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Footage from the rally quickly started to go viral on social media. Photos and videos reposted to the union's X account showed a step-and-repeat, red carpet, and signs that read, "Layoffs are out of fashion" and "Jobs 4 employees? Groundbreaking." In some clips, protestors can be heard chanting "Bosses wear Prada, workers get nada" and "Say it loud, say it clear, winter’s extra cold this year,” a play on Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour's name.

“The last nearly three months of fighting for our co-workers on the company’s layoff list has led us to today,” Ben Dewey, vice chair of the CNE unit of the Condé Nast Union, said in a statement obtained by CNN. “Our 24-hour walkout is about standing firmly behind our colleagues and showing Condé Nast management in the clearest possible way that we will not tolerate their disrespect at the bargaining table over these layoffs. It is time to start bargaining in good faith with us.”

In November 2023, Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch announced that more than 300 employees would be laid off.

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