Anne Hathaway on Mary Magdalene and her Gift to Jared Leto

LATELY, actor Anne Hathaway has been listening to Harry Styles. Her two young sons are “very into him.” But the Brooklyn-born Ms. Hathaway, who turns 40 this month, is also filming an adaptation of Robinne Lee’s 2017 novel “The Idea of You.” In it, a divorced mother starts an affair with a boy bander who is seemingly inspired by Mr. Styles. “It’s a funny coincidence.”

That project is a very different movie than this fall’s “Armageddon Time.” Set in Queens in 1980, the drama sees a Jewish mother—Esther, played by Ms. Hathaway—negotiating her relationship with her family in a changing world. “I did as much research as I could. I like homework. I like asking questions,” said the Academy Award winner and “WeCrashed” star. “I have a hungry mind.”