The Batman: Zoe Kravitz Reveals Claws Weren’t Originally Part of Catwoman Costume

Selina Kyle and Catwoman have made the jump from the pages of DC Comics to live-action projects a number of times over the years, forcing productions to find a way to honor her more outlandish traits while also offering somewhat realistic elements for a performer, with The Batman star Zoë Kravitz recently chronicling the evolution of this version of the character’s costume. More specifically, the actor went on to recall how the production shutting down due to COVID-19 protocols resulted in the team finding a way to honor Catwoman’s razor-sharp claws in a way that still kept the grounded spirit of this superhero outing. The Batman is expected to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.

“It was an extremely collaborative process — in all the ways, in terms of the character and how she looked and what she was wearing…our costume designer came to New York a week after I got the part to meet me and measure me and start the conversation about Catwoman,” Kravitz recalled to BuzzFeed. “[Director] Matt [Reeves] is an extremely collaborative filmmaker who likes to get to know the person playing the character, so I didn’t have to fight for anything — it was designed that way.”

She continued, “We developed the costume together as a team, and actually, the nails weren’t originally planned. We shot two months before quarantine and everything shut down, so in that time, I started to grow my nails out because we couldn’t get manicures and then I had this idea to take it further … so I called Matt and was like, ‘I have this idea, we should do crazy, bitchy, wonderful scary nails that looked like claws. No nail polish on them, so they looked more like claws,’ and we were able to incorporate it last minute.”

Arguably the most iconic big-screen version of Catwoman was Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, which offered a heightened version of reality, featuring metallic claws that Catwoman would often put to use. In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway played Selina Kyle, and while she demonstrated many of the character’s signature traits, the “Catwoman” moniker was never used, while a pair of high-tech goggles were incorporated into her costume so that when they were flipped up, they gave the impression of cat ears.

While Kravitz’s claws surely helped her get into character, it’s unclear whether or not they’ll see a practical use in the upcoming film.

The Batman is slated to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.

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