Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway takes on the role as the Grand High Witch in the remake of “The Witches.” It’s based on the classic book by Roald Dahl.

Hathaway tells NY1’s George Whipple that she was a big fan of the original film.

“I was eight when the film came out, when the 1990 film came out. If you were a child during that time, it just it was such a definitive film for you. And it just stays with you. especially Anjelica Huston. I watched that performance now as an adult and as an actress myself, and it's flawless. It's perfect,” she says.

Hathaway says she relied heavily on the book to create her version of the Grand High Witch.

“I really started out by really focusing on the way Roald Dahl just genetically kind of created the character and how she talked,” she says.

Stanley Tucci stars alongside Hathaway as the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer. It’s the first time the two have shared the screen since they made “The Devil Wears Prada.” Hathaway enjoyed the reunion.

“It was just lovely to kind of, you know, be reunited with an old friend, particularly from a film like 'Devil Wears Prada.' It was like no time had passed," she says. "We were just like, in the first minute of the first rehearsal, we were making each other giggle and having a great time.”

Joining the cast is Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, who plays grandma. In this version, grandma is from Alabama. In the book, she is from Norway.

Spencer says she hopes their version of “The Witches” is a family affair for viewers.

“I’m hoping that people, especially now, with Halloween basically being canceled, will see it as a way to create memories with their families,” she says.

You can watch “The Witches” now on HBO Max.