Actress Anne Hathaway stopped by Main Campus earlier today to show her support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and get students to volunteer at voting locations on Election Day.
Donning a “proud to support Madam President” T-shirt, Hathaway stood at a campaign table on Montgomery Avenue near 13th Street for about half an hour, talking to students about her plans to vote for Clinton.
“If you sign up [to volunteer], you get a selfie,” Hathaway told the growing crowd.
As students lined up, Hathaway told reporters that while she lives in New York City, Philadelphia is important to her.
“My parents grew up not too far from here,” she said. “My aunt went to Temple and I’ve spent many many holidays in the suburbs of Philadelphia.”
She said the election is “extra important” this year, because whoever becomes president will choose Supreme Court justices who will make decisions for the future of the country.
Hathaway has been politically active in the past — she attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver to show her support of President Barack Obama, according to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Ross Weisman, a junior media studies and production major, took a photo with Hathaway and said he’s excited to see her out campaigning for Clinton.
“It just means a lot to me that celebrities are putting their money where their mouth is, and taking time to come to Temple,” Weisman said. “It shows that 20-something, millennial voices do matter in that, this election is important and it’s really great that they’re showing it.”
Kimberly Gabler, a junior accounting major and fellow with the Clinton campaign, woke up to a text this morning from her supervisor saying that Hathaway would be visiting.
“She has been my idol since I was little,” Gabler said. “It’s just so nice for her to come out to our campus, and get everyone excited for Election Day and to get everyone to sign up to help. Because we could use all the help we could get.”
Sophomore linguistics major Michelle Ferguson said she heard Hathaway was visiting because she’s volunteered at Clinton’s campaign office on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street.
“Philadelphia is a major city, and Pennsylvania is a very divided place in general,” she said. “Temple is such a diverse community and it’s such a huge, huge place with a lot of young people. I think it’s a great place to hit when you’re trying to win an election.”
Before Hathaway left the crowd of students to visit other Philadelphia-area locations, like Bryn Mawr College and a campaign office in Ardmore, she shouted that she hopes everyone has made a plan to vote on Tuesday.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do,” she said to the crowd, “But I’m voting for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Let’s break this glass ceiling.”
Paige Gross can be reached at paige.gross1@temple.edu or on Twitter @By_paigegross.
Emily Scott contributed reporting.
CORRECTION: A previous photo caption on this article misspelled Kimberly Gabler’s last name.
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