Anne Hathaway, famous for films like The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Love & Other Drugs (2010), hustled her way into Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman opposite Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Her performance as the femme fatale was much appreciated by audiences and critics alike, but she almost blew her audition and Nolan had a front-row seat to it all, as revealed by the actress in an interview with BBC Radio 1 in April 2020.

Anne Hathaway and Christopher Nolan

She noted the fact that she nearly lost the role as she had no idea what she was auditioning for until Nolan interrupted her. She went to the audition dressed as another DC character – Harley Quinn, a character that is played by Margot Robbie.

Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman Audition Gone Wrong

Speaking to BBC Radio 1’s Ali Plumb, Anne Hathaway revealed that she presumed she was called in to audition for the Clown Prince of Gotham – Joker’s girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

She detailed her dress that screamed Harley Quinn, though only after an hour, Christopher Nolan reminded her that the audition was not for that character.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

“That was the initial meeting with Chris,” she said. “I came in, and I had this lovely Vivienne Westwood, you know, beautiful but kind-of-mad tailoring top with ᵴtriƥes 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.”

However, she was able to secure her place in the $1 billion film,  as an actor of her caliber could switch into Catwoman in a blink.

Anne Hathaway Instantly Changed Gears For Catwoman

The late Heath Ledger’s story as the Joker was not taken forward into the threequel with fans wondering about his arc. Hathaway, going into it, had no idea about the script. Nolan, she recalled, waited an hour into the meeting to break it to her that she was there for Selina Kyle.

Hathaway 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.”

The Dark Knight Rises closed the chapter on Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne with a poetic ending to his story with Selina Kyle. Zoe Kravitz has now taken the mantle from Hathaway in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. 

The Dark Knight trilogy can be watched on HBO’s Max.