7 Tantalising Ways Anne Hathaway Made Her Catwoman Awesome

4. She Originally Thought She Was Auditioning For Harley Quinn

When the audition scripts for the new cast in the Star Wars prequels were released online, it was reaffirmed how secretive directors of big budget movies can be. To keep as much as possible a secret, actors can often audition for a part not knowing exactly what it is. Sometimes it can be figured out (you can imagine Daisy Ridley assumed, as we do, that she was reading for Han and Leia's daughter), but not always. When she first read for Selina Kyle, Anne Hathaway actually thought she was auditioning for a totally different Batman villain; Harley Quinn. Conventionally the Joker's girlfriend, she's noteworthy in the rogue's gallery for being introduced in The Animated Series, then working her way into other media. Hathaway only realised her mistake when Nolan corrected her, although her logic in misunderstanding is pretty sound; given how big a part the Joker was in The Dark Knight's success, coupled with how linked the character of Catwoman was with Michelle Pfeiffer, Harley's a good shout for a female character. The effect this had on Hathaway's eventual performance is totally speculative until her initial audition tape is made public (if at all), but we imagine it gave Hathaway a distinction between others going for the part and maybe even led to her to trying slightly out there things on set.