The Batman franchise welcomed Anne Hathaway into its universe when she played Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan’s last Batman movie was the only time she sported the outfit. But the director was so impressed by her performance that he felt audiences should’ve seen more of her.
What Christopher Nolan had to say about Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman performance
Hathaway managed to impress Nolan with her interpretation of Catwoman since their first audition. Initially, however, Hathaway had prepared to test for a completely different character than Selina Kyle. She was under the impression she was auditioning for Harley Quinn.
“I came in and I had this lovely Vivian Westwood kind of beautiful but mad-tailoring top with stripes going everywhere,” Hathaway once said in an interview with BBC Radio 1. “And I wore these flat Joker-y looking shoes. And I was trying to give Chris these crazy little smiles. About an hour into the meeting he said, ‘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, thinking, ‘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.’”
The fact that she was able to secure the role despite the miscalculation was a testament to her abilities. The Princess Diaries star would go on to receive rave reviews for her performance. Nolan, who had a front row seat to Hathaway’s acting, couldn’t help but gush about his star’s talent.
“Anne is incredibly precise and articulate about the psychology of the character. She’s really built it from the ground up, it’s just a delight to watch her perform,” he once told Access (via The Guardian). “The thing she does in those heels is not to be taken lightly. She’s an incredible character and we’re very excited to see her and hopefully we’ll leave people wanting more.”
During the interview, Nolan commented on what he’d thought about a potential Catwoman spin-off. That kind of experiment hadn’t been seen since Halle Berry’s film, which she felt was more appreciated in recent years. However, he was confident in Hathaway’s ability to do a solo Catwoman feature justice. Even if he wasn’t the director to do the job.
“For me, Gotham and these characters, I’m done. I’ve told our story and I’m moving on [but] I certainly think she deserves it – she’s incredible,” he said.
Anne Hathaway cried when she had to walk away from Catwoman
Hathaway couldn’t have been more excited about playing Catwoman, although she had trouble adjusting to the suit at first. She had her sights sets on the iconic character since she got her big break in The Princess Diaries. Even back then, she discussed how excited she’d be to play the DC anti-hero.
“It was funny for me because when I got my start, I kind of got my big break with The Princess Diaries and during the press rounds for that everyone asked me: ‘Did you always want to be a princess growing up?’ And the truth was, no I wanted to be Catwoman. And I think a lot of women feel that way. And the fact that I am actually her is such a dream come true. It’s such a pinch me moment. And the fact that I am Catwoman in Chris Nolan’s Gotham to Christian Bale’s Batman is unbelievably cool,” she said in a 2007 interview with Collider.
It appears that the role lived up to Hathaway’s expectations. So much so that Hathaway admitted she would’ve been eager to revisit the character and Gotham City.
“I would love it,” she once said according to Entertainment Weekly. “I actually, it’s so embarrassing, I was at a press Q & A thing the other night for a screening of The Dark Knight, and the moderator asked me, ‘So what was it like to say goodbye to the character?’ And I burst into tears, because I miss her. It just makes me cry. I miss her. I love Selena so much and I love her presence in my life and getting to… I’m crying again. So assuming there was enough Kleenex in the world, I would love to do a spin-off.”
