Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway Steal the ‘Verity’ Premiere With a Laugh-Out-Loud Moment

A psychological thriller lives or dies on tension, but ‘Verity‘ has also leaned heavily on something much lighter: the chemistry between its leads. Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway have been joking, teasing and finishing each other’s sentences all press tour long, and their New York premiere appearance was no exception.

The two have been inseparable ahead of the Colleen Hoover adaptation’s release. They were photographed at a New York press day on September 15, Johnson in a black dress and Hathaway in a turquoise two-piece while pregnant with her third child. Hathaway skipped the London premiere on September 24, so the New York carpet was the first time this leg of the tour brought the trio together in person.

Then came Tuesday, September 29, at AMC Lincoln Square 13. A photo of Johnson and Hathaway doubled over in laughter on the red carpet is now the image that best captures the tour.

Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway at the ‘VERITY’ premiere https://t.co/KhBNq9q6sI

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 30, 2026

In the shot, Johnson has her dark bangs and a top bun, and she laughs with her head thrown back while Hathaway grins beside her. They stand arm in arm in front of the premiere’s red backdrop, with Johnson’s dark nail polish visible as she holds onto her co-star.

The contrast in their outfits is striking. Johnson wore a custom white Calvin Klein Collection two-piece with crystal fringe, while Hathaway chose a black custom Atelier Prabal Gurung strapless gown, finished with emerald drop earrings and a sparkling bracelet.

Obsessing over the way Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway greeted each other at the NYC premiere of “Verity.” 🥹😭 pic.twitter.com/IbdwhVtj09

— Page Six (@PageSix) September 29, 2026

The laughter reflects how the cast describes the shoot. Josh Hartnett has said they had a fun time and that they spent much of it goofing around between takes. Hathaway agreed, describing ‘Verity’ as a sexy thriller in which the cast were just pals in between takes.

Johnson’s nickname for her co-star also signals the familiarity. She calls her Annie, a name Hathaway has previously said she prefers over Anne.

Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson joke that they got married 😂 pic.twitter.com/dr1Fz2wkF6

— Anne Hathaway Crave (@anniecrave) September 30, 2026

The moment fans keep coming back to is the kiss shown in the trailer. Johnson told Extra that she would kiss Annie “for the rest of my life,” before jokingly apologizing to Hartnett.

The scene is not in Hoover’s book. Johnson and Hathaway felt it made sense for Lowen, who gets a little too caught up in Verity’s life. Director Michael Showalter has said the two improvised the moment in which a makeout session with Jeremy turns into a kiss with Verity.

Hathaway has joked that the cast all kissed each other on screen and that it was a miracle nobody got sick.

Anne Hathaway turned into the ultimate red-carpet traffic cop at the "Verity" New York premiere on September 29, 2026. After laughing off the shouting chaos with Dakota Johnson, she took complete charge of the photographer line.#AnneHathaway #Verity pic.twitter.com/bHnFomGwDz

— MTN (@movietv_news) September 30, 2026

Hathaway also recounted the effort behind one of the film’s most distinctive images. The production could change certain details of Verity’s appearance, but she said the headboard bite was too distinctive to get wrong.

She recalled laughing as she figured out how to make the unusual moment look convincing, at one point biting a piece of balsa wood for work. Johnson, meanwhile, has described the intimate scenes as very technical but incredibly enjoyable, according to Out magazine.

‘Verity’ follows Lowen Ashleigh, played by Johnson, a struggling writer hired to ghostwrite for bestselling author Verity Crawford, played by Hathaway. After Lowen uncovers what appears to be Verity’s chilling autobiographical notes, she grapples with disturbing confessions about Verity’s husband Jeremy, played by Hartnett.

Hathaway has described the story as a strategy of mirrors, in which you think you see one thing but it reflects another. The cast hopes the film leaves audiences debating what really happened.

Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett star in an all-new trailer for #Verity.

In theaters October 2. pic.twitter.com/niq02J5nO5

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) August 11, 2026

Showalter directs from a script by Nick Antosca, and the film opens in theaters on October 2. The premiere also drew Hoover, Hartnett, Ismael Cruz Córdova and Antosca to the carpet.

Hathaway has said she plans to take a break from work once the film arrives, so the laughs on the New York carpet are also a fitting sendoff for the end of a packed press tour.

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