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Me-ow.

Kim Hollis: Following up on our Emma Stone discussion last week, what do you think of Anne Hathaway's current career status? How big a bump do you expect her to get from The Dark Knight Rises?

Brett Beach: Last week, I talked about the possibility that Stone could have a Reese Witherspoon 2001-2002 run in her at some point in the future. I love Anne Hathaway, have seen both Princess Diaries (once) and Bride Wars (2x!) because of Anne Hathaway, but one of the things I like about her is that she maintains an element of aloofness and (for lack of a better phrase) cold-fishedness about her. (For best example in a hit film, see Get Smart). I think this makes her a unique actress and one that a lot of actors and directors would like to work with, but I also think it would keep her from starring in the kind of comedy/romantic comedy that Witherspoon or Stone could turn into a mega hit. I think her career is well-enough established now that The Dark Knight Rises won't really do much for her, as hit or bomb (or about as much as The Dark Knight did for Maggie Gyllenhaal or Avatar for Sam Worthington). I realize that this all sounds like very back-handed complimenting of Hathaway, but I don't mean it that way.

Max Braden: I agree with Brett in how from at least an audience's perspective the Batman franchise isn't a boost to its female cast members. It's not the type of role I think her fans will remember her for. Of course, when you're talking career, you also have to consider that actors don't have an audience until someone offers them a role, and having Batman on your resume at least serves to say that you were trusted to be part of a huge budget before. I think her career got the biggest recent boost from her hosting ("cohosting", but let's be honest, Franco was a sidekick) the Oscar ceremony. I don't think she has any problem selling herself as a actress with a range that includes dark roles to comedy roles. The only other actress in her age that I can think of providing that kind of competition is Natalie Portman.

Jason Lee: I think Hathaway will get some measure of notoriety from playing such an iconic comic book character, but her career won't get any significant boost. Let's be real here: Hathaway is an attractive, likable, charismatic girl. She'll be a boon to romcoms, dramas, comedies and lighthearted fare. She will have a hard time, I'd imagine, serving as the key draw on an action movie or summer blockbuster (as opposed to, for example, Angelina Jolie). As such, The Dark Knight Rises won't open up any doors for Hathaway that aren't open already.

David Mumpower: I completely disagree with the supposition that she will not get a bump from The Dark Knight Rises. The premise that women do not get enhanced awareness from these films is predicated upon the fact that Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal have portrayed characters so unimportant in Batman lore that only super-nerds could identify them. Catwoman is iconic. There is a reason why obscure actresses from the 1960s still have fan bases to this day. When Hathaway dies, her obituary will include the fact that she played Catwoman. It's an entirely different scale from Rachel Dawes. I also disagree with Brett's assessment of her lacking warmth in Get Smart. As a huge fan of Barbara Feldon's work in the original, I was blown away by how much Hathaway channels her in the remake. We have focused so much recently on all of the bad remakes that showed no cohesion with their predecessors. Get Smart is the blueprint example of how to get everything right in terms of tone and style and Hathaway is the glue of that. With regards to her specific career status, she is 28-years-old, has been nominated for an Oscar, has hosted The Oscars, and she works constantly. She is having the type of career every would-be actress dreams about.

Kim Hollis: I agree that Catwoman is completely different than playing Rachel Dawes. She's playing one of the key characters in the Batman universe rather than just "a girl." Seriously, Rachel Dawes is so disposable that she was both re-cast and killed off. Catwoman is completely different. I already think that she's one of the more high-profile actresses working at the moment. The Dark Knight Rises just adds to that status.

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