Maggie Gyllenhaal Interview for 'Dark Knight'

16 Questions with: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Who is that girl sharing screen time with Christian Bale in the hotly anticipated 'Dark Knight'? Why, it's Maggie Gyllenhaal, indie darling and sister of Jake, taking over the Katie Holmes role of love interest Rachel Dawes. Moviefone dishes with the star about her newfound love of the Bat, her take on late lamented co-star Heath Ledger ... and her intense (and violent) hatred of the paparazzi. -- By Maggie Furlong

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1. Were you a 'Batman' fan before you were approached for this role?
I wasn't. [Laughs] I knew almost nothing about 'Batman.' I'd seen the movies like everyone else. But until I was standing on the edge of a building and dropped to certain death and then saved by Batman in his huge cape, I couldn't have cared less. [Laughs] That did it for me -- then I was a convert. There's something so iconic about Batman, and seeing Christian [Bale] in his costume wandering around the set did have a real effect on me.

Warner Bros.

2. And if Christian Bale in that costume doesn't do it for you, nothing will, right?
Right? Exactly! You have to be coldhearted to not feel something then. [Laughs]

Warner Bros.

3. What was it like working on this movie, since it was such a darker 'Batman'?
On set, I often forgot it was a Batman movie. I think it was important to [director] Chris Nolan that we play everything for truth, that we make these people as human as possible. Even though the situations we found ourselves in were often larger than life and based in fantasy, I think he wanted us to play all of them with as much honesty as we could find in them.

Warner Bros.

4. Did you study Katie Holmes' portrayal from the last 'Batman' movie to ... go another way?
I'm a fan of Katie Holmes; I think she's a lovely actress. I've seen her around -- she has a daughter a little older than mine ... I like her a lot. I really liked what she did in the previous 'Batman.' There were some things in terms of narrative that carried over into our movie, but I just thought of Rachel as a whole new woman. I don't think it would've served anyone for me to try to imitate Katie. You can't do that as an actress -- I wouldn't have felt free and open to do my own thing with it.

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5. Did you enjoy that Rachel was not just the typical chick on the sidelines?
When I met Chris [Nolan] about doing the movie, I wasn't looking to work. I had a three month old. I'm a fan of his and, of course, the cast is amazing -- it was really hard not to take the possibility really seriously. He gave me a script and said, "She isn't quite finished yet -- keep that in mind when you read it." So I read it; I had a lot of ideas. It was important to me that she be smart and feisty and fierce and a real woman. When I talked to him about my ideas, it was clear that he wanted the same thing.

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6. Without revealing too much, can you say anything about the possibility of you returning, in any way, to the next 'Batman'?
I would be happy to if they'll have me! [Laughs] I feel so proud to be part of this movie on any level. It's just been a pleasure at every turn. It really is a great movie, and I'm just so pleased to be a part of it.

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7. Were you jealous that the guys had all the gadgets and cool costumes here? And is there any superpower that you'd like to have?
Watching them and the fun they got to have, I do think it's something that looked really interesting to me, to be able to sort of be a superhero or a bad guy . Rachel is not either of those things. But I'd like to fly, I guess.

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8. How has having a child changed your acting career?
A lot of her life I haven't really wanted to work at all. I feel kind of renewed and really inspired by being around her all the time and by the time that I've taken off to be with her. I think, in that way, I feel really ready to work. And on another level, I keep reading things and thinking, "This isn't worth being away from her." You know, it's hard to find something that feels worth that to me. Also, I think just being a mother, birthing a child, raising a child changes you so much. For me, it really deepened me. I think that will probably make my work better ... more interesting.

Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage.com

9. So what's next for you?
Aside from 'The Dark Knight,' I've only done one other movie since she's been born, which is a Sam Mendes movie that I finished in the spring [called 'Farlanders']. It's a comedy -- it's really funny -- and it was a lot of fun. I'm looking for something now that will be a real challenge to me, something hard. I'd like to play somebody who's powerful and graceful and elegant -- I've played a lot of people who are really broken.

Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images