In 2012, Christopher Nolan ended his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. The epic conclusion saw Bruce Wayne take on Bane and form an uneasy alliance with Catwoman, who was played by The Odyssey star Anne Hathaway.
The actress's take on Selina Kyle isn't quite as iconic as Michelle Pfeiffer's in 1992's Batman Returns, but Hathaway was great in the role and received a thumbs-up from fans at the time. However, as that was where the story ended, it was a one-and-done role for her.
In a new interview with Josh Horowitz, The Devil Wears Prada star reflected on her role in The Dark Knight Trilogy and revealed that, when she auditioned, she was under the impression that Nolan wanted her to play Harley Quinn.
"Here's the thing that worked in my favour: she's a chameleon," Hathaway explained. "So, I knew I was auditioning for — I was meeting with Chris for the female role in the Batman trilogy, the next instalment. I thought that I'd gamed it out, because I was just like, 'It can't be Catwoman because Michelle Pfeiffer was so iconic... [Gasp] It's going to be Harley Quinn!'"
"So, I spent a week developing demonic Harley Quinn energy. I was wearing weird Jester flats and a striped top," she continued. "And then, about two hours into our conversation, Chris is like, 'So, the part's Catwoman,' and I was like, 'Transform!'"
"So, I just then decided that I was like, 'Well, this top is very sensual.' And I was going to be very... like a psychopath. I changed personalities like a psychopath," Hathaway added, offering a fascinating insight into her process and how she had to pivot on the day.
Harley didn't factor into Nolan's Batman movies. Instead, we had to wait until 2016's Suicide Squad, when Margot Robbie played the anti-hero as a member of Task Force X. She'd go on to reprise the role in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey in 2020 and 2021's The Suicide Squad.
Since then, Lady Gaga has played a version of Harley, Lee Quinzel, in 2024's critically panned Joker: Folie à Deux. However, she was widely hailed as the best part of the sequel. As of now, the character is on the shelf in James Gunn's DCU.
As for Hathaway, Catwoman was very nearly her second superhero role. Sam Raimi had wanted her for 2011's unmade Spider-Man 4, where she was either playing Black Cat or The Vulturess, depending on which rumour you choose to believe.
You can hear more from Hathaway on her role in The Dark Knight Rises in the player below.