AceShowbiz - Anne Hathaway has broken her silence over the criticism of her turn as the 2011 Oscars host, insisting the bad reviews were "tough" to deal with. The actress co-hosted the Academy Awards with James Franco in February and hasn't commented on their much-maligned stint on stage until now.

In an interview on America's "Today" show, Hathaway admits it was difficult hear such harsh comments about her performance. She says, "The experience was so big. The bigness of it was so overwhelming. I felt so much joy to get to be a part of movie history. [But] the critics were tough. They said we were the worst show ever. I think that qualifies as tough."

But "The Devil Wears Prada" star is thankful for the fans who have praised her efforts. She adds, "I think about the Oscars as several different experiences. There was the critical reaction, which was awful. Then there are the people who have been coming up to me since then who stop and say, 'I thought it was fantastic. I watched it with my family and we were entertained.' "

"I am very grateful to those people. And then there's my memory of it, which is, whether it was great or whether it stunk, who knows? I still got to walk out on the Kodak [stage] and see those people and someday I'll get to tell my grandkids about it."

When asked if she would ever take on the task again, Hathaway quipped, "Why not? I don't know. Maybe. Perhaps. No."