Trash-talk-free zone!
When Anne Hathaway and James Franco co-host the Academy Awards this Sunday, don't expect any below-the-belt zingers in the manner of Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais or Chris Rock (who singled out Jude Law at the 2005 Oscars).
"I can guarantee that if you're looking for someone to call people out, we're not your hosts," Hathaway, 28, tells The Hollywood Reporter in her first joint interview with Franco, 32.
"I think that humor is really difficult to pull off, and I'm not particularly adept at it," adds the actress. "I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. Also, I don't mean to sound overly serious, but I am the youngest host in history and I have no business being cynical or calling anyone out. I certainly haven’t earned the right to do that."
Franco has two reasons to be nervous on Sunday: In addition to his hosting duties, he's also up for a Best Actor trophy for his role in 127 Hours. But the star doesn't think he stands a chance.
"Nobody is shy about saying Colin Firth is going to win," he says. "I've accepted that. By hosting, it makes it easier to go to the events and not feel like a total schmo."
Both stars initially turned the offer down. Franco's involvement, Hathaway said, sealed the deal. "He's so brave and so willing to make unconventional choices," she says. "All the ways I was worried about it going wrong, it wouldn't go wrong in any of those ways. It could go wrong in entirely new ways."
