Anne Hathaway Says Stress Led to Her Missing Out on “Great Moments”

Most kids shop for a car for their 16th birthday, not a country. Or, in Anne Hathaway‘s case, superstardom.

Back in 2001, the actress, then 19, became a household name thanks to The Princess Diaries. Which actually left her royally flushed.

“In the beginning of my career,” she recently told Elle for their Women in Hollywood issue, “I was so worried about messing up that I missed a lot of great moments because I was so stressed out.”

And haters be damned. “I have worked too hard on seeing myself with kinder eyes to give away my peace to those who haven’t found it for themselves yet,” the mom of two, with husband Adam Shulman, explained. “So I do my best to not be afraid of what others might say and just focus on enjoying my life.”

Now, at 39, the actress has a different perspective. “I’m at a point in my life now where I know having a first time at something remarkable like that—it’s the only time it ever happens,” she explained. “And being in a place where I could enjoy it felt like a really positive development.”