Interview | Anne Hathaway talks with Screenrush

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Screenrush got a chance to catch up with woman-of-the-moment Anne Hathaway, but this time not to talk about her attempt at a Yorkshire accent in Lone Scherfig's One Day but instead to try and extract some much guarded details about Christopher Nolan's final Batman instalment The Dark Knight Rises. Our correspondent in Los Angeles, Emmanuel Itier, sat down with Catwoman to chat about Gotham City, Martial Arts and being Nolan's first female action hero!



Are you happy to be able to finally talk about the movie?

I’m happy to be able to talk about the movie as much as I can. Obviously a few secrets are out now so I can discuss certain things, but quite a few things are still under wraps.

What is your reaction to the photo getting out on line (get a glimpse here)?

I asked people to check it out for me…It’s a little over whelming.

Can you talk about stepping into the shoes of such an iconic character? A lot of people grew up with Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Eartha Kitt. How does it feel to be Catwoman?

Well the first thing you have to say is what an honor. 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.

When you got this role, what did Chris tell you about not letting any secrets out?

It’s sort of implied that everything is meant to be kept under wraps as possible.  The production isn’t called Batman, it has another name.  When I first read the script I couldn’t take it home with me, I had to read it in a locked room. Maybe the room wasn’t locked, I could be adding that for dramatic effect…but you know…

How do you learn your lines if you can’t even take the script home with you?

I read it through once really fast and I went back and read over all of my scenes and tried to memorize them as much as I could.  It’s cool, you can call Chris and ask “what is this scene about again?” and eventually you get a copy of the script.  But everything is done with the upmost secrecy. When I screen tested, I took the sides (audition material) home with me. And it was really awkward because the producer had to hunt me down to get the sides back so that they could be destroyed.  So it’s implied that this should be treated with a certain amount of secrecy which is great because I think it is so much more fun to discover it in the movie theatre when there is so much anticipation about the movie. I’m excited for people to discover it when it’s all pieced together the way Chris wants it.

What has been the physical challenge of this role for you so far?

I’d always thought I was pretty healthy (she’s a vegetarian) and I always thought I had worked hard in the gym and it turns out that what I thought was hard is actually light to moderate in Catwoman’s world.  I’ve had to ratch it up a notch. I have the most incredible stunt woman in the world and she’s got me and the character to another level.

Why did you want to be Catwoman when you were a kid?

I loved Catwoman’s sense of humor. I love how sly she is. I love how she walks the fence and you don’t know which side she’s going to come down on.  She’s totally independent.  Let’s face it, she’s bad ass.

Who is your favorite Catwoman?

They have all been great. Each Catwoman is specific to the Gotham city she lives in and the director that helps shape her.  So it’s kind of hard to have a favorite and I’m not just being political, it’s hard to have a favorite because each one is so specific. And you look back at the history of the comic and Catwoman gets reinvented every ten to fifteen years anyway.  You can have preferences but the core of the character remains.

Did you look at any of them as inspiration?

I grew up with all of them so I was well acquainted with the character’s dimension; she’s one of my favorite characters in the comic book world and in the movie world. But I didn’t go back to any of the other ones because I’m in Chris’s Gotham City. For me it didn’t make a lot of sense to look at them for inspiration, even as extraordinary a performance that Michelle Pfeiffer gave, that was Tim Burton’s Gotham.

Have you been filming with IMAX cameras doing dialogue scenes?

We have been yes.

What is that like because those cameras make a lot of noise or have you not noticed that?

I have noticed the noise because it sounds like a cappuccino being made constantly! (Laughs) For the fight sequences I actually love it because it keeps you out of your head and it adds to the adrenalin somehow.  But I haven’t shot that many of the dialogue scenes yet.

After Christian Bale you are the most high profile person in the cast at this point in time– is this movie going to be important for your career?

Obviously Christian is Batman and it’s the Batman series and he’s the star of it. One of the things that I love about working with Christian and this franchise is that it does feel like an ensemble each time. Christian is the leader of the actors and he is so lovely so I haven’t really thought about it to be honest.

What are the styles of Martial arts you do in the film?  Don’t you have a dance background?

Yes, I do. I don’t actually know the name of it – sorry this makes me sound like an airhead. The stunt department are all phenomenal fighters and so I’ve just been mimicking them and doing whatever they tell me to do.  I do all sorts of kicks. I do a roundhouse kick, I think its all mixed martial arts. I don’t know what the martial arts technique is called but I’ve been doing it in heels!

How does it feel to be Chris Nolan’s first cool action hero female?

I didn’t realise I was the first and I feel a little nauseous. I couldn’t feel more privileged to walk on the set every day.  I’m the most annoying chipper person, because every day I walk on set I just want to do back flips at how happy I am to be here.  I would have played street cop number three if it meant getting to work with Chris Nolan but I get to play Catwoman! […]  I hope I don’t let him down.

We'll all have to wait until July 20, 2012 for The Dark Knight Rises to hit UK screens.