Anne Hathaway has shared several details about her portrayal of Catwoman in ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ including that the supervillain is more vicious than previously believed. In an interview with the LA Times’ Hero Complex, the Academy Award-nominated actress disclosed that Gotham City is a warzone, and Catwoman is helping the new ruthless madman, Bane, played by Tom Hardy.

“The citizens, haggard and clutching suitcases with refugee anxiety, sit behind barbed wire waiting to see what will blow up next. A hooded prisoner is dragged in-it’s Bruce Wayne, one of Gotham’s most famous faces-but the eyes of the crows go instead to the woman in black standing at the top of the staircase,” Hathaway said.

Coming down the stairs, Selina Kyle, who uses Catwoman as an alias, is wearing stiletto heels that have serrated edges that leave claw marks on her opponents. She also wears night-vision goggles, that when not in use, flip up and resemble feline ears.

Hathaway added that she loves the Catwoman costume she wars, even though it caused controversy when it was officially revealed. “Everything has a purpose, nothing is in place for fantasy’s sake, and that’s the case with everything in Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City,” she said.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Catwoman is also completely different than previous film portrayals of the character. “What’s come before doesn’t limit or even affect this new version. It doesn’t affect me because each Catwoman…is defined by the context of the Gotham City created around her,” Hathaway said. “Catwoman is so influenced by Gotham and whoever is creating Cotham at the time.”

Hathaway also stated there are a lot of codes of behavior in Gotham, and Catwoman has her own code. “A lot of the way she moves and interacts with people is informed by her worldview. (Chris) has given us all such complex, defined, sophisticated worldviews that it’s just a matter of doing your homework,” she added.

Written by: Karen Benardello