Emma Fitzpatrick, who stars in the parody video of Anne Hathaway’s “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables that has become an internet sensation, would like to emphasize that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
The 27-year-old actress, a self-described “musical theater nerd,” says she is a fan of Hathaway’s Oscar-nominated performance as Fantine.
“I thought she did a great job,” said Fitzpatrick, adding: “I actually wept through her whole song. I don’t think there’s any questions about her talent or her skill or what she was willing to give to that role.”
PHOTOS: 'Les Mis' World Premiere in London
The viral video of Hathaway’s most powerful scene in the Oscar-nominated film has become a hit for several reasons: the scene is done in one take (just like Hathaway’s), the lyrics are hilarious and Fitzpatrick’s voice is pretty impressive.
Titled “For Your Consideration,” the clip harps on all the reasons Hathaway deserves the best supporting Oscar for her role as Fantine. Some of the best lyrics include: “I lost half my body weight but then they never did a wide shot,” and “I coughed and wheezed and cried in every scene until I died.”
Fitzpatrick, who has been classically trained since she was 14 years old, says she knew the director of the short through a friend of a friend, and was cast in the project just days before the shoot.
“I’ve been a huge fan of this show and this music for a long time, so I knew the music really well,” she says. “We threw it together really quickly. By the time I agreed to do it and got the lyrics to the song, we were basically shooting the next day.”
The actress-singer, who starred in the 2009 film The Collector, says they did eight takes of the performance, with the final being the one that was used in the video.
PHOTOS: 'Les Miserables': Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman Pose for THR
“It’s a vocally taxing song, so by the eighth take I was a little exhausted,” she tells THR.
With nearly 250,000 views on YouTube after just a few days, the video has thrown Fitzpatrick into the spotlight after years of working the audition circuit in Los Angeles.
“My manager has been getting some cool calls,” she says. “I was just joking with him that I go to hundreds and hundreds of auditions, and this is the thing that people are taking notice of. It’s a gift that it gets me in front of so many people so quickly.”
As for what Hathaway would think of the parody, Fitzpatrick says she’s hopeful that the Oscar-nominated actress would like it.
“That would be so cool if she saw it,” she says “It seems to me that she has a pretty good sense of humor -- she’s been know to parody fellow actresses herself -- so I would think that she probably gets it.”