Anne Hathaway jumped from Harley Quinn to Catwoman at lightning speed for Batman
Anne Hathaway says she prepped hard for the wrong Gotham girl, spending days getting ready to play Harley Quinn before learning her The Dark Knight Rises audition was actually for Catwoman — and then pivoting on a dime, she told Josh Horowitz.
If you ever thought actors just roll up to auditions, say a few lines and then jog home, Anne Hathaway's audition for The Dark Knight Rises is here to prove otherwise. In the most classic bit of Hollywood confusion, Hathaway showed up fully convinced she was about to land Harley Quinn — only for Christopher Nolan to drop a Catwoman-sized curveball on her mid-conversation.
Bit of Miscommunication, That
Hathaway recently had a chat with Josh Horowitz and gave the run-through on exactly how her audition for Nolan’s last Batman flick went sideways. Apparently, she was told she was being seen for the 'lead female role' in the next Batman film. In her head, that meant absolutely not Catwoman — not after Michelle Pfeiffer’s turn in the Tim Burton era. 'It can’t be Catwoman because Michelle Pfeiffer was so iconic. It’s going to be Harley Quinn,' she reasoned.
So, off she went: a week spent fully in Harley Quinn territory — demonic chaos, jester flats, stripy jumper and all. Her words: she came in 'like weird jester flats and a striped top', genuinely prepping what sounds like the quirkiest audition for a Nolan movie’s ever seen.
The Big Reveal (Two Hours In!)
The punchline? Two hours into discussing character and story with Nolan, he goes: 'So, uh, the part’s Catwoman.'
'So, I spent a week like developing like demonic Harley Quinn energy. And I was like wearing like weird jester flats and a striped top.'
She didn't miss a beat. According to Hathaway, she immediately switched gears, transforming from full-on Harley into Catwoman mode almost instantly. Her own summary of the pivot: 'like a psychopath'.
Her Quick Gear Change Paid Off
- Hathaway spent days assuming she was prepping for Harley Quinn, not Catwoman
- Showed up to the audition in very on-brand, Harley-inspired attire
- Nolan let slip halfway through: it was Catwoman all along
- She switched to Catwoman energy mid-audition
- Ended up nabbing the role, starring opposite Christian Bale
One of those proper 'only in Hollywood' stories, but it seems to have worked: Hathaway got the role, and the rest is Bat-history.