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Anne Hathaway has revealed that she took tips from Golden Age actress Hedy Lamarr for her portrayal of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises.
The 29-year-old, who plays the feline superhero in the forthcoming third instalment in Christopher Nolan's Batman reboot, was inspired by the late starlet's performance in Gustav Machaty's notorious film Ecstasy.
"I know this sounds odd, but her breathing is extraordinary. She takes these long, deep, languid breaths and exhales slowly," she told LA Times' Hero Complex.
"There's a shot of her in Ecstasy exhaling a cigarette and I took probably five breaths during her one exhale. So I started working on my breathing a lot."
Christopher has only high praise for his leading lady in the role first embodied by Julie Newmar and later revitalised by Michelle Pfeiffer.
"She had something very important we needed for this character - she's an incredibly talented but naturalistic actress, which makes her great in film," he said.
"She also has terrific theatrical skill so she can project a persona and there's a big aspect of the character that is a persona. She's a multi-layered character and we needed a great actress that could rise to that challenge," he added.
Christian Bale reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming movie, scheduled for release in July, alongside Tom Hardy as villain Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
