Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson reveal 'Verity' scenes they improvised

Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson have shared behind-the-scenes details from Verity, including an improvised scene, the film’s headboard bite and its ambiguous ending.

The film, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2018 novel, follows struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), who is hired by Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett) to complete the final book in his wife Verity Crawford’s (Hathaway) bestselling series after an accident leaves Verity in a vegetative state.

Lowen later discovers a hidden manuscript that makes her question what happened to Verity and whether the author was responsible for a serious crime.

Director Michael Showalter revealed that Johnson and Hathaway improvised a scene that develops from an embrace between Lowen and Jeremy.

Showalter said the moment evolved into a more intimate sequence involving Verity, describing it as “grief that then turns erotic”.

Johnson later discussed filming the scene with Hathaway and Hartnett, saying, “It was very technical, but obviously incredibly enjoyable. I got to make out with the two of them for a few hours!”

She also told Extra TV, “I would kiss Annie for the rest of my life. Every day. If you need me, I'm there.”

Another detail carried over from Hoover’s novel is Verity biting a headboard. Hathaway said the sequence required extensive preparation, including stunt rehearsals and multiple versions of the headboard.

“We had like stunt rehearsals. We had to test so many things,” Hathaway said. “There are certain things that, like, Verity could be, maybe Verity could be a brunette, but we can't mess up the headboard bite.”

Hathaway also improvised a waltz into bed during another scene, which ultimately remained in the film.

Meanwhile, several sleepwalking scenes involving Lowen were cut. Johnson said, “It's just not necessarily that interesting to watch someone sleepwalk.”

Hartnett also highlighted the film’s ambiguous ending, saying it could encourage audiences to debate its meaning after watching the film.