Anne Hathaway tears up over hooker role

ANNE HATHAWAY choked back tears during an interview on British TV on Wednesday (09Jan13) as she recalled the trauma of playing a prostitute in the new movie adaptation of LES MISERABLES.

The actress takes the role of Fantine, a downtrodden mother in 19th-century France who ends up selling her body so she can provide for her daughter.

Hathaway confessed she is shocked the same problem still exists today and that countless women around the world still turn to the sex trade as their only way out of poverty - and it made it difficult to shoot the role.

During an interview for U.K. chat show This Morning, Hathaway looked visibly moved and fought back tears as she said, "This is a story that is being repeated - sadly, tragically - throughout the world by the millions, and just the weight of that... That got me."

The interview was broadcast on the same day Hathaway won a best supporting actress nomination for her Les Miserables role at the upcoming British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards.