Anne Hathaway apologises for her portrayal in The Witches remake: 'I'll do better'

Anne Hathaway has responded to criticism from disability advocates over the portrayal of witches in the film. Photo / Supplied

Actress Anne Hathaway has apologised for the portrayal of her hands in the HBO remake of The Witches.

In the revival film, the witches appear to have three-fingered hands. This is similar to the limb condition ectrodactyly, otherwise known as "split hand".

In the original children's book by Roald Dahl, the witches are described to have "claws instead of fingernails". In an illustration on the first edition cover, the witches can be seen with all five fingers.

"I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches," Anne posted on Instagram.

"Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for.

"As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the [Grand High Witch] when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened."

She continued: "I particularly want to say I'm sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I'll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I'm sorry I let your family down.

"If you aren't already familiar, please check out the @Lucky_Fin_Project (video above) and the #NotAWitch hashtag to get a more inclusive and necessary perspective on limb difference," Hathaway said.

Anne Hathaway has responded to criticism from disability advocates over the portrayal of witches in the film. Photo / Supplied

In fact, Warner Bros also released a statement in response to the backlash.

A spokesperson said they were "deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities" and "regretted any offence caused".

"In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the catlike claws that are described in the book. It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them."

It came after people shared their criticism on Twitter.

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I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches.  Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for. As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened. I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down. If you aren’t already familiar, please check out the @Lucky_Fin_Project (video above) and the #NotAWitch hashtag to get a more inclusive and necessary perspective on limb difference.

A post shared by Anne Hathaway (@annehathaway) on Nov 5, 2020 at 11:11am PST

British Paralympic swimmer Amy Marren first tweeted: "Warner Bros, was there much thought given as to how this representation of limb differences would affect the limb difference community?"

Disability advocate Shannon Crossland also spoke out.

"Is this the kind of message we want the next generation to receive? That having three fingers is a witch's attribute? It is an extremely damaging portrayal. Disability should not be associated with evil, abnormality, disgust, fear or monsters."