Anne Hathaway** and Hugh Jackman** see nothing wrong with suffering for their art.

In the Dec. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter, Hathaway, 30, opens up about how she lost 10 pounds before Les Miserables shooting began -- and then, during a two-week break from filming, dropped another 15 pounds to play a dying, TB-afflicted prostitute named Fantine.

"I just had to stop eating," the newlywed explains, "all for a total of 13 days' shooting."

Similarly, Jackman, 44, was asked to drop 15 pounds to play a gaunt convict. As shooting progressed --- and his character, Jean Valjean, became more successful -- he added 30 more. "I was eating anything I could," the Aussie remembers. "If ever there are any outtakes, there's a lot of me burping."

According to Jackman, the 68-day shoot -- which features live vocals -- "was a harrowing emotional experience, but in the end, it was worth it."

In the Hollywood Reporter cover story, Hathaway also reveals she wasn't necessarily the producers' first choice for the role of Fantine. (The actress' mother played the part in the original U.S. road show in the 1980s.)

"There was resistance because I was between their ideal ages for the parts -- maybe not mature enough for Fantine but past the point where I could believably play Cosette [Fantine's daughter, played by Amanda Seyfried**]," she says. "And I did what I do when I really want a role: I got fiery and told my agent, 'Just get me in the room.'"

She adds, "Then I sat on pins and needles for a month; when my audio was played for the higher-ups, they responded."

The film -- which also stars Russell Crowe**, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Sacha Baron Cohen** -- is in theaters Dec. 25.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Anne Hathaway on Dramatic Les Miserables Weight Loss: I Didn't Eat for 13 Days