The character of Catwoman has been brought to life by a number of actresses, but for this month's "The Dark Knight Rises," director Christopher Nolan found the perfect person to fill Selina Kyle's catsuit in Anne Hathaway.
Nolan told that the character "is the most alive presence in the movie in the beginning," and she also helps draw Bruce Wayne (Batman) out of his shell. "She's a breath of fresh air...and Anne Hathaway just nails the character, delightfully."
She did have to put in hard work to portray Catwoman, Hathaway tells us, and had to dedicate herself to getting stronger.
"You can't have little spaghetti arms when you're doing that," Hathaway, 29, joked. "A huge part of the character was her strength and you can't fake that, you have to actually become strong. And it was great to have the time to develop that strength and to also have the support that I needed. I've never played a character that was so dependent on that before."
Hathaway said she spent about 10 months preparing for the part and shooting the film, and she added that she surprised herself with her focus.
"I'd never done anything like that, nor believed that I could," Hathaway said. "I've never really been that person. And it was pretty life-changing realizing that I could commit to something that was healthy for that long. I did a lot of growing over the course of this film."
Fans of the superhero series will get to soon decide for themselves if Hathaway was the right choice when the movie bows July 20.
Watch the video above for more "behind-the-scenes" moments with Nolan and Hathaway.
