Darkness and bitterness envelop the quayside of Montreuil-sur-Mer. Hathaway, looking pale and sickly, with short hair and two missing teeth, sits curled up on the damp, chilly ground, weeping like rain in the role of Fantine, one of Victor Hugo’s most tragic female characters, as she prepares to enter the world of prostitution.

The dock where the unfortunate girl is about to surrender her body to a Gaul witch for a few francs is, in reality, a soundstage at Pinewood Studios, outside London. Renowned for being the home of James Bond, Pinewood was chosen due to the preferences of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Hathaway, who don costumes designed by Paco Delgado reminiscent of the 19th century, under the direction of Tom Hooper, the Oscar-winning director of “The King’s Speech.” This impressive ensemble promises to bring “Les Misérables” to life for audiences later this year.

The set is constructed with blackened brick houses, large rusty hulls of ships, and many barrels of dead fish, and Fantine, the girl afflicted with tuberculosis, finds herself at her wits’ end. The harsh reality and repulsiveness of her situation are underscored by the layer of mud on the floor and the stench of rotting fish pervading the air. The voices of the prostitutes echo loudly. “Life has dragged me to the bottom. Join us, sisters, and earn money in your sleep…” Hathaway leads a sailor by the hand, softly singing, “Will you, Captain, take a woman who can’t refuse?”

Director Hooper shouts, “Cut!” One of the actresses in the chorus exclaims, “That was fantastic!” Hathaway quietly expresses her gratitude in her British accent, which she chose for the role, before sitting down on a small stool, resting her feet on a crate.

Hathaway was in the midst of filming “The Dark Knight Rises” when auditions for “Les Misérables” began, and she immediately exclaimed, “I truly, truly want a part.” Hathaway had been exposed to the musical since the age of 7, when her mother, who often played the role of Fantine when the show went on tour, introduced her to it.

Reflecting on this, she recalls, “I will never forget it. I stood there crying my eyes out, not just because I was seeing my mother die before my eyes, as the storyline went, but because I was so moved and felt such a connection to the character, the music, and the entire production. I fell in love with the show then.”

With her graceful performances in “2002 Encores” and her duet with Hugh Jackman at the Oscars in 2009, Hathaway has demonstrated her ability to navigate her path. One might think she should have been at the top of the list of actors for “Les Misérables,” but the producers told her they didn’t want to see her because she was too young for the role of Fantine and too old for other roles. Hathaway persisted in auditioning and flew to Los Angeles to meet with director Hooper. She was asked to audition for two crucial scenes, “I Dream a Dream” and “Fantine’s Arrest.” Hooper, completely enthralled by what Hathaway portrayed, asked her to continue working with him on Fantine’s death scene, and by the time they finished shooting that sequence, three hours had passed.

Perhaps a month later, Hathaway learned she had the role, but she hit the ground running. She read the original 1,400-page novel, researched the role of women in 19th-century French society, and watched documentaries about sex slavery. She also began serious vocal training with legendary vocal coach Joan Lader (whose clients include Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Madonna, and Jackman). Hathaway “sang all the time because I knew I would have to sing for 12 hours a day on set, and I wanted to be fully prepared.”

Before this, she had been vegetarian and had spent 10 months working out, practicing martial arts, and doing yoga for “The Dark Knight Rises.” For her role in “Les Misérables,” before filming began, she underwent a strict diet and cleansing regimen to lose 5kg, achieving an extremely slender figure. Then, over the next two weeks, she lost over 7kg with a strict diet that included only two servings of oatmeal a day. “I was obsessed with the idea of ​​the appearance of someone who is dying. Looking back, the whole experience – and I don’t judge anything – was entirely difficult, entirely a disconnect from reality, but I think that’s the image of someone named Fantine.”

Hathaway faced many challenges in the film – cutting her hair, pulling her teeth, singing while being roughed up by a sailor, and living miserably with tuberculosis – but her most daunting challenge was performing the scene with “I Dream a Dream.” This was not just one of the program’s most powerful, best