Which actress is the inspiration for Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman?

The Los Angeles Times just published a report from their visit to the London set of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and while most of it is generic fawning (“She’s an incredibly talented but naturalistic actress,” says Nolan; “Chris has given us all such complex, defined, sophisticated worldviews,” says Hathaway), there are some interesting tidbits.

The beginning describes a new scene from the film where (spoiler alert) a hooded and imprisoned Bruce Wayne is dragged out in front of Gotham City by Selina Kyle’s henchmen. “Sorry to spoil things, boys, but Bane needs these guys himself,” she says. I’m not exactly sure what this means, but it does seem now that Catwoman is working for Bane, at least in a freelance capacity. Also noted is that the heels on Kyle’s stilettos are serrated like a knife to inflict more damage with kicks during a fight. Nice touch.

And if you’re looking to see where Hathaway got her inspiration on how to play Selena Kyle, look no further than old-timey actress Hedy Lamarr. Creator Bob Kane had said that Lamarr was a big inspiration for the comic character, so Hathaway went back and studied her films, including how the actress breathed.

Of all the parts of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, Hathaway as Catwoman is the one I’m most skeptical about but I’m still curious to see how Nolan uses the character in the film (her role seems like the least important at this point).