"I find the passing of time very liberating," says the actress, who turns 29 in November. "I feel more confident every, well not every single day, but most days I feel better than I did the day before, and that's a good thing."
Hathaway hit the red carpet in New York on Monday night, sparkling in a gold and black Alexander McQueen dress, to premiere her latest romantic drama, "One Day." She said she feels a sense of freedom about approaching 30.
"For every generation where traditional rules don't apply, you don't have to have things figured out by 22 and have four kids by the time you're 30," said Hathaway, who's single but dating and has no children. "We have a lot more time to figure out who we are."
Case in point, Hathaway says: Meryl Streep, the 62-year-old Oscar winner.
"We have pioneers that show us there's no reason to be afraid, and I just think fear (of aging) is something that we perpetuate," Hathaway said. "Who needs it?"
"One Day," based on the best-selling novel by David Nicholls, follows the romantic journey of two best friends over 20 years. The film, opening Aug. 19, also stars British actor Jim Sturgess.