Anne Hathaway reacts to longstanding rumours about being Shakespeare's wife

Anne Hathaway is getting creative with fans over Shakespeare ‘wife’ theories.

Taking to Instagram on Saturday, March 21, The Princess Diaries star playfully acknowledged her link with the historic figure.

A new video opens with The Devil Wears Prada actress getting ready. She sits as her stylist and assistants perfect her look, putting makeup and styling her hair, when someone off-camera asks, “What was life like in the ’90s?”

The Oscar winner turned to the camera with a concerned expression and asked, “The 1590s?” following which news clippings and images flashed across the screen.

One image featured text reading, “In 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway,”over a picture of the famous writer and his wife.

Other images showed the couple together, solo portraits of the historic Anne, and even an edited photo of modern-day Anne hugging Shakespeare. The clip then returned to the Idea Of You actress in the present time.

“It was intense,” she said after a moment of thought while her expression was serious.

The video was captioned, “This is serious,” clearly indicating that the Golden Globe Award recipient is well aware of the longstanding lore surrounding her namesake.

Interestingly, videos discussing Anne, 43, as Shakespeare's wife often highlight the eerie coincidences between the modern actress and the historical figure.

Both share a name, married men named Adam/William, and share a birthday, prompting popular theories of reincarnation.

Other content explores the historical Anne’s life, noting her 1582 marriage to 18-year-old Shakespeare at age 26, their children, and her portrayal in literature as a "magical" figure or creator.