When Anne Hathaway went to her audition for Catwoman in 2012’sThe Dark Knight Rises, she actually didn’t have any idea what role she was auditioning for. So whenChristopher Nolan— the movie’s director and co-writer — called her in for her interview, she went dressed not as Catwoman but Harley Quinn.
Hathaway revealed this hilarious misunderstanding during a recent interview with BBC Radio 1, which saw her discuss some of her most prominent roles with interviewer Ali Plumb. When her performance as Catwoman inevitably came up, Plumb asked Hathaway to clarify something she said before in a previous interview about mixing up the role withHarley Quinn, and Hathaway happily obliged.
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According to Hathaway, she entered the interview wearing what she described as a “lovely Vivian Westwood,” with “flat Jokery shoes.” As her meeting with Nolan progressed, she shot him all kinds of “crazy little smiles,” and spent the whole time channeling her inner Harley. It wasn’t until about an hour into their meeting that Nolan revealed Hathaway was there for a completely different character.
‘I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but itsCatwoman,’ she recalls him saying. The bombshell forced Hathaway to switch gears mid-performance. “Now ok, we’re slinky. We’re slinky. And I hate my shirt. I love my shirt, but I hate it right now. We’re slinky,” was Hathaway’s description of her internal dialogue as she switched demeanors.
Christopher Nolan is known for keeping his films under wraps, so it makes sense that he didn’t notify Hathaway beforehand about the role. Waiting so long into the interview to reveal what character Hathaway would actually play also worked as an excellent way to test her range as an actor — even if that wasn’t the intention. Luckily, she landed the role as she played a terrific Catwoman in the finale of Nolan’sBatmantrilogy.
The Dark Knight Risesis available now on Digital, Blue-Ray, DVD, and most streaming services.
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