Anne Hathaway recently appeared in a Bvlgari Serpenti snake necklace, then popped up in a behind-the-scenes Verity Reel with Taylor Swift's 'Patient Zero' playing nearby. For Swifties, that would already be enough material for the conspiracy board. Then comes the part that makes the theory considerably messier: Hathaway spent this year starring in a film whose concert sequences were literally built using Swift's Reputation tour as a guide.
The Oscar-winning Les Misérables actress played a troubled pop superstar in Mother Mary, and director David Lowery has said Swift's 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour concert film became a major production blueprint. His team studied three performances shot by shot, with Lowery saying they were 'literally using Reputation as a guide'.
Now Hathaway is wearing the very Bvlgari snake line that appeared in one of Reputation's most memorable visuals, while watching a Swift video starring her current co-star Dakota Johnson. If Swifties are connecting dots, there are suddenly quite a few of them.
Hathaway Already Has a Reputation History
That’s suspicioussssss 👀 pic.twitter.com/t8YASrrz9b
— Miranda 💚🦋 (@evermoreadore) October 1, 2026
The Serpenti necklace is more specific than a random piece of snake jewellery. Swift wore Bvlgari Serpenti pieces during the throne sequence in her 2017 'Look What You Made Me Do' video, where snakes crawl around her while she sits in red on a gold throne. That video effectively cemented the serpent as one of the defining symbols of the Reputation era.
Hathaway is a Bvlgari global ambassador and has worn Serpenti repeatedly, but her Taylor history makes the latest appearance unusually well timed. Lowery said the Reputation concert film was watched repeatedly while creating Mother Mary, adding: 'You would not believe the amount of time we were talking about Taylor.' He even said he sometimes imagined Hathaway's character as Swift 'in 10 or 15 years'.
The Swift references continued after filming. Hathaway gave Lowery a Taylor-style friendship bracelet reading 'Anti-Hero' when production wrapped. She had also attended Swift's Eras Tour in Gelsenkirchen on 19 July 2024 while filming in Germany and later revealed Swift had a handwritten note delivered to her saying, 'I'm so happy you're here. I'm going to be enthusiastically waving at you.'
Then Dakota Johnson Entered the Picture
The newest connection runs directly through Verity. Hathaway stars opposite Dakota Johnson in the Colleen Hoover adaptation, while Johnson simultaneously became the face of Swift's latest visual era by starring alongside Colin Farrell in the 'Patient Zero' music video.
Johnson is not simply a convenient casting crossover. She and Swift have been friends for years, with Johnson saying during the Verity press run that they had long talked about 'work and art and life' before finally collaborating. On Sunday, 27 September, Johnson presented Swift with the inaugural Artist Director Honor at the MTV Video Music Awards before 'Patient Zero' premiered.
Then Hathaway's own press-tour content placed 'Patient Zero' back in the frame. With Verity arriving in cinemas on Friday, 2 October, Swifties were already speculating about a possible connection between Johnson's role in the film and her appearance in 'Patient Zero'. Hathaway appearing to watch the video while promoting the same film only added another piece to that increasingly crowded corkboard.
The VMAs Make It Even Weirder
The Reputation parallels were already spiralling before Hathaway's necklace appeared. 'Patient Zero' premiered at the VMAs, exactly as 'Look What You Made Me Do' did in 2017, while both videos lean into death, gothic imagery and cemetery visuals.
am i losing it or is the “s” in “soon” LITERALLY shaped like a snake???? because why does that look so intentional??? a SNAKE??? in the word SOON??? oh she wants us to notice something and i fear i’m already connecting dots that may or may not exist pic.twitter.com/lZAOJ37XJN
— ☁️ ᴉʅɥsɐ (@swiftinspires) September 28, 2026
Fans also noticed what they interpreted as a snake-shaped 'S' on a gravestone in 'Patient Zero'. During Swift's directing tribute at the same ceremony, another detail sent theories into overdrive: a recreation of the 'Karma Wall' from 'The Man' appeared without the word 'Reputation', even though it was visible in the original video.
Put everything together and the Hathaway theory is no longer resting on one necklace. There is Mother Mary using Reputation as a literal filmmaking blueprint, Hathaway attending the Eras Tour, Swift sending her a personal note, the 'Anti-Hero' bracelet, Dakota Johnson moving directly between Verity and 'Patient Zero', the shared VMA history and finally Hathaway appearing in Serpenti while Taylor's newest video is already triggering Reputation theories of its own.
For now, none of it confirms that Hathaway is involved in a future Swift project, but Swifties certainly have enough dots to keep connecting.
