We’ve been lucky enough to catch glimpses at Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables leads, giving us an idea of what they might look like in character. First, there was Russell Crowe’s hat. Then, Hugh Jackman’s beard. And now, a suggestion of Anne Hathaway’s haircut, which actually ends up being more drastic than it sounds. See for yourself:

The photo, published on People.com, was snapped in London’s SoHo neighborhood as Hathaway exited The Box, a nightclub, with her fiancé Adam Shulman. Though she tried to hide her shorn locks, this appears to be the first shot of Hathaway’s look for Fantine. I wonder if the studio will respond with an official shot once this photo makes the rounds? If you are unfamiliar with Victor Hugo’s story, Fantine will have to sell her hair at one point to raise money for … well, I’ll let plot twists be discovered by the audience.

Hooper, of course, is coming off of an Oscar win for his movie The King’s Speech, and is tackling this screen adaptation of the stage musical that is based on Hugo’s novel. His cast is stellar. In addition to the three leads, he has booked Amanda Seyfried (as Cosette), Sacha Baron Cohen (as Monsieur Thénardier) and Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier. They are racing the clock to reach a Dec. 14 release date for Universal Pictures, which no doubt hopes that Hooper’s Oscar luck will extend over this Miserables and power the musical through next year’s awards race.

And now you won’t be so surprised when Hathaway makes the press rounds on behalf of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and looks more like a New Wave rocker than Selina Kyle.