Anne Hathaway has revealed that she devoted a full week to getting ready for a Christopher Nolan role she believed was coming her way, before discovering she had misunderstood the assignment.
Nolan is one of the most sought-after filmmakers in the industry, so any actor invited to meet with him is likely to put serious effort into preparation.
That was exactly the approach Hathaway took when she was contacted about appearing in one of his projects.
She went into the meeting convinced she was being considered to play Harley Quinn in The Dark Knight Rises. In reality, Nolan wanted to discuss Catwoman for the DC sequel.
Hathaway only realized the mix-up around two hours into their conversation, when Nolan clarified which character was actually on the table.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast recently, Hathaway said: “Here’s the thing that worked in my favor: she’s a chameleon. So, I knew I was auditioning for… I was meeting with Chris [Nolan] 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!’”
Hathaway explained that she had fully committed to that version of the audition and built an entire performance around Harley Quinn’s energy.
Hathaway continued: “So, I spent a week developing demonic Harley Quinn energy. I was wearing weird jester flats and a striped top.
“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.”
Even though she had prepared for the wrong character, Hathaway still landed the role of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, marking her first collaboration with Nolan.
She later reunited with the director on Interstellar and is also set to appear in his forthcoming film, The Odyssey, in which she plays Penelope. The epic is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on July 17, 2026.
Nolan’s next major release boasts a star-packed cast, with Hathaway appearing alongside Matt Damon, Tom Holland and Zendaya.
Hathaway has also said Nolan played an important part in helping her move forward professionally during the backlash that followed her Oscar win for Les Misérables.
“I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I’ve had in one of the best films that I’ve been a part of,” she told Vanity Fair in 2024.