LOS ANGELES: She has acted opposite stars like Meryl Streep and in hit movies including “Brokeback Mountain,” but for Anne Hathaway, playing British writer Jane Austen in film drama “Becoming Jane” was so great, she almost quit.

Hathaway, 24, is one of Hollywood's rising young stars who mostly stays out of tabloid headlines dominated by the likes of Lindsay Lohan and other troubled young celebrities. Her new movie “Becoming Jane” opens in major US cities on Friday.

“A lot of people put pressure on me. I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Hathaway said in an interview. “There was a time when I considered stepping away from the project because I really didn't want to fail.” She stayed on, Hathaway said, because she felt she had more to gain by overcoming her fears than walking away.

The actress became a teen sensation in 2001's “The Princess Diaries,” displayed real acting talent as the wife of a gay man in “Brokeback,” and held her own as a plucky assistant to a wicked fashion editor (Streep) in “The Devil Wears Prada.” “Becoming Jane” marks the first film in which her popularity is the key draw.

For the movie, Hathaway had to master an English accent as well as learn the history and customs of the late 18th century.

Further raising her anxiety was the fact “Becoming Jane” is a fictional tale of Austen's life.—Reuters