Anne Hathaway Reveals Her Inner Nerd To Harper's Bazaar (PHOTOS)

Cathy Horyn is not the biggest fan of celebrities nor does she have the patience for fluffy, uncritical journalism.

So we were surprised to see that Harper's Bazaar's glowing Anne Hathaway cover story for August was written by the poison-penned Horyn, she of the celebrity takedowns.

The article revolves around the incredible metaphorical powers of nail polish, as Horyn describes Hathaway choosing between two different colors for her pedicure:

The choice is between burgundy and neon pink. Somehow she doesn't seem the neon-pink type: too classic, the Anne of the red carpet, sheathed in Paris couture. Without makeup, without an audience to dazzle, her features soften. You might assume her to be a grad student. I vote for burgundy. Anne, who has removed her shoes, ponders. "My feet are so pale, the dark red will just make them look more so. I'll go with the pink."

The choice is telling, Horyn concludes, as Hathaway opens up about her "inner nerd" -- she loves cosmology, neutrinos and dark matter! -- and reveals her wackier side:

She describes having dinner with friends just before New Year's when her parents, driving through the city, stopped by to say hello. "I was wearing some zany outfit, and my mom just smiled at me," Anne recalls. "And I said, 'What?' She said, 'It's you. You look like yourself.'" Underneath the table, those hot-pink toes suddenly make a lot of sense.

Leave it to Horyn to probe the deeper meaning of nail varnish.

For the full interview and more photos of Anne Hathaway, go to HarpersBazaar.com and pick up the August issue of Harper's Bazaar, on newsstands July 12th.

Check out this video for more on Anne: