Anne Hathaway has said she had to ‘pretend to be happy’, when accepting her Best Supporting Actress for Les Miserables in 2013.

Speaking to The Guardian, the actress said she felt wrong accepting the statuette, after portraying so much pain and suffering in the movie.

Anne HathawayAnne Hathaway was only pretending to be happy when she won an Oscar in 2013

"I felt very uncomfortable. I kind of lost my mind doing that movie and it hadn't come back yet," Hathaway said.

”Then I had to stand up in front of people and feel something I don't feel which is uncomplicated happiness.”

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"It's an obvious thing, you win an Oscar and you're supposed to be happy. I didn't feel that way,” she continued.

“I felt wrong that I was standing there in a gown that cost more than some people are going to see in their lifetime, and winning an award for portraying pain that still felt very much a part of our collective experience as human beings.”

During the movie’s press tour critics had questioned Hathaway’s demeanour and sincerity, something which the actress herself noted.

"I tried to pretend that I was happy and I got called out on it, big time. That's the truth and that's what happened. It sucks,” she explained. “But what you learn from it is that you only feel like you can die from embarrassment, you don't actually die.”

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When accepting the award an emotional Hathaway began her speech by saying “It came true!”

But she later finished by adding: “Here’s hoping that someday in the not too distant future the misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories and nevermore in real life. Thank you.”