STACK June 2017 Issue 152

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If superhero movies aren’t exactly known for
their subtlety, then actress Gal Gadot felt in
good hands when Patty Jenkins, who directed
Charlize Theron to an Oscar in Monster, was
announced to helm Wonder Woman.
As Gadot debuted her Diana Prince/Wonder
Woman in last year’s Batman v Superman under
the direction of Zack Snyder, Jenkins was already
in talks to take the character to the next level in
her own standalone film.
“After Patty directed Monster, she always
envisioned herself directing Wonder Woman,
and when Charlize won the Oscar, the studios all
came to her asking what she wanted to do next.
She told Warner Bros. that she wanted to direct
the next Wonder Woman,” says former Miss
Israel, Gadot, 32, when STACK meets up with
the 5’ 10” stunner in Los Angeles.
“Little did she know that several years later,
she would. But Patty is so talented, she had a
super clear vision on Diana Prince and her story,
and how she wants to tell it.
“After spending so many hours and weeks
with her, I couldn’t ask for a better director to
work with on this. We became super close
and had so many funny moments, as well as
many deep moments when we were on set,
just talking about life and having philosophical
conversations.”
Jenkins’ Wonder Woman introduces a carefree
Diana, Princess of the Amazons, living on an
idyllic island of women. She will only become
Wonder Woman after Chris Pine’s US spy, Steve
Trevor, crashes near her island and she learns of
the horrors of World War I raging in Europe.
Pledging to escort Trevor to England, she
meets her destiny and finally becomes
Wonder Woman as she
stops to rescue women and
children from the Germans
in a hotly-anticipated scene,
that has already been
compared to the iconic
moment when Superman
first rips off his office shirt to
reveal his signature ‘S’ costume
beneath.
With so much pressure resting on Gadot’s
shoulders, she tries not to let it get to her. “It’s
all just noise and I don’t even think about that.
Movies are stories, and I think that Wonder
Woman’s story is very universal and beautiful,
and works for both genders, so I think people
will all be able to relate. I try not to exhaust
myself overthinking about it, and just enjoy
the ride.”
STACK is joined by Gadot’s co-star Connie
Nielsen, who plays Queen Hippolyta, who says
making Wonder Woman was a groundbreaking
experience for her. “For a woman to work with
a female director – first of all, it’s rare for us, so
there’s already this. And it does make me
feel like, when I’m making creative
decisions or I have ideas about
the character, there is much
more likelihood that the
director will recognise
those feelings or ideas
as pertinent to the
character, than many times
when you’re positing an idea
to a director who is not aware
of any of those things. So it
does make a big difference
to me.”
As for the man in this world
of women, Chris Pine insists
he’s gender neutral. “I mean, she’s
a human being, she’s great, she kicks
ass, she’s a great director; she just happens to
be a woman,” he grins.
It’s Pine’s onerous task to introduce Diana
to the world of men and war. “Steve is a grave
realist in terms of the depths of violence, and
the chaos of war. And then he meets Diana,
who’s new to the world of men, and has these
high hopes about what humankind can achieve
and do, and I guess the trajectory for us is that I
learn a lot about hope and the positive potential
of mankind, and she learns what it’s like to
live in the real world, which is not all rosy and
fantastical; it’s complicated. That’s the conflict
between us two.”
Studio bosses are counting on Gadot’s
Wonder Woman to be a box office knockout,
having already completed Justice League – due
for release later this year and also featuring
Gadot, as well as Jason Momoa’s debut as
Aquaman.
08 JUNE 2017
visit EXTRAS FEATURE
Wonder Woman is in cinemas June 1
I think that Wonder
Woman's story is
very universal...
and works for both
genders
Manners may maketh the man, but where do the women fit in? STACK asked the stars
and director of WonderWoman ahead of the film's release this month. Words Gill Pringle
Gal Gadot and
Connie Nielsen