Among all DC villains featured on screen, the femme fatale Catwoman is hands down the most impressive female supervillain in the DC Universe. Thanks to her smart personality and devious nature, she turned into Batman’s purring nemesis. And over the years, fans have been treated to numerous interpretations of the character by different actresses.
From Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns to Zoe Kravitz in the latest iteration The Batman, a number of prolific actresses have served their take on the character. But then there was Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises, who changed the intensity and grace of the character, despite her initial misinterpretation of the role.
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Anne Hathaway’s Bizarre First Meeting With Christopher Nolan
The comic book character of Catwoman has been one of the most fascinating supervillains in the DC universe. Almost appearing as a sensational weakness of Batman, the character is actually the Caped Crusader’s whip-smart purring nemesis. And over the years several phenomenal actresses like Michelle Pfeiffer and Zoe Kravitz have played the role.
But unlike all, Anne Hathaway‘s version of Selina Kyle aka Catwoman has been one of the most praised on-screen performances. However, according to the actress, she initially had no idea that Christopher Nolan wanted her to play the role of the high-profile burglar. Instead, during her first meeting with the director, Hathaway was under the impression of being hired to play Harley Quinn.
“That was the initial meet, and I came in, and I had this lovely Vivienne Westwood, you know, beautiful but kind-of-mad tailoring top with stripes going everywhere, and I wore these flat kind of Joker-y looking shoes, and I was just kind of trying to give Chris these crazy little smiles.” Hathaway told BBC Radio 1.
Misinterpreting her role, Anne Hathaway dressed up in an outfit that paid tribute to The Joker and wore shoes that were giving major Arkham prisoner vibes. Further, she also employed some of Harley Quinn’s mannerisms during her meeting with Nolan.
Anne Hathaway’s Graceful and Perfect Rendition of Catwoman
Thus, Anne Hathaway recalled how her initial meeting with Christopher Nolan didn’t go accordingly. Trying to make a good impression, the actress made a fool out of herself after misinterpreting her role in The Dark Knight Rises. But eventually, she discussed with BBC Radio 1, how she was guided by Nolan about her role as Catwoman.
“And then about an hour into the meeting, he goes, ‘Well I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but it’s Catwoman.’ And I was like, ‘Shifting into a different gear, right now! We’re slinking, I’m more slinky, I hate my shirt, I love my shirt but not right now, we’re slinky.”
Despite her failed meeting with Christopher Nolan while trying to impress him with her rendition of Harley Quinn, Anne Hathaway eventually delivered a phenomenal performance as Catwoman. Not many actresses can say oops during their initial meeting with acclaimed filmmakers and move on to impress audiences.
Anne Hathaway did what no other actress could possibly do. Her take on the role of Catwoman became one of the most interesting ones in the DC universe. Alongside Christian Bale‘s Batman, Hathaway’s rendition of Selina Kyle simply became the perfect fit for The Dark Knight Rises.
Read more: “I feel like a tit”: Playing Batman Was Embarrassing for Christian Bale for 1 Very Convincing Reason
