Elon Musk Brands Anne Hathaway 'Bird-Brained' as Old Equality Speech Goes Viral

An old speech by Anne Hathaway has found itself back in the spotlight after Elon Musk launched a series of attacks against the actress on X. The resurfaced clip comes from Hathaway's appearance at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in September 2018, where she spoke about equality and challenged what she described as myths surrounding sexuality, gender identity and race.

Her remarks soon gained virality again online, prompting Musk to respond with a string of personal insults aimed at both Hathaway and the people behind her speech. The billionaire, who has already been outspoken about Christopher Nolan's new film The Odyssey, used the viral moment to continue criticising the actress while also questioning her ability to think independently.

His comments have since added another chapter to his ongoing criticism of Nolan's casting decisions for the highly anticipated film, which features Hathaway alongside Lupita Nyong'o and Elliot Page.

Hathaway's Speech Gets Fresh Criticism

The clip that resurfaced online showed Hathaway opening her speech by addressing the audience as 'ladies, gentlemen and gentlethem'. She then spoke about what she described as damaging myths surrounding identity and privilege.

'With the exception of being a cisgender male, everything about how I was born has put me at the center of a damaging and widely accepted myth. The myth is that gayness orbits around straightness, transgender orbits around cisgender, and that all races orbit around whiteness. And it is a myth that keeps money and power in the hands of a few instead of being invested in the lives of the free,' Hathaway said.

She concluded that part of her speech by saying she rejected that myth.

After the video began circulating again, Musk dismissed Hathaway's remarks and suggested she was simply repeating words written by someone else.

'She's just reading the script someone else wrote. No critical thinking is happening here at all,' Musk wrote on X.

He followed that with another post that read, 'She's just a marionette. Whoever wrote her speech is the real douchebag.'

Musk then escalated his criticism further by writing, 'She has a little bird brain.'

In another post, he added, 'She just says the words Hollywood tells her to say. There are no internal thoughts of her own.'

The remarks focused not only on Hathaway's speech but also questioned whether she held the views she expressed herself, with Musk repeatedly arguing that she was following a script rather than speaking from her own beliefs.

The Odyssey Cast Remains Under Fire

Musk's criticism of Hathaway comes as he continues to target Christopher Nolan's casting decisions for The Odyssey, the upcoming film in which Hathaway stars.

Last week, Musk posted on X, 'Before this year ends, Grok Imagine will make a full-length movie of The Odyssey that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer.'

His criticism did not stop with Hathaway. Musk also re-posted abusive language directed at Black actor Lupita Nyong'o and trans actor Elliot Page, who have both been cast in the film. The posts suggested that Nolan was more interested in winning awards than staying true to the source material, claiming the director had lost his integrity through his casting choices.

Nyong'o later addressed the criticism during an interview with Elle, making it clear that she had no intention of engaging with those attacking the film.

'Our cast is representative of the world. I'm not spending my time thinking of a defence. The criticism will exist whether I engage with it or not,' she said.