Robin Wright is best known for her role as Princess Buttercup in The Princess Bride and, in recent years, has carved herself as the lobbyist Claire Underwood in Netflix’s House of Cards. Now she’s stepping into the role of famed warrior and aunt to Diana Prince, General Antiope, in the Wonder Woman film.
Screen Rant got a chance to sit down with Wright on press day, where we discussed what being involved in this film meant to her, why Antiope encourages Diana’s warrior side, and what message we should take from the Wonder Woman film.
Wonder Woman has been around for 75 years and, obviously, it is a very important character in pop culture’s American history. What did being a part of this film mean to you?
Robin Wright: It’s two-fold because when Patty Jenkins called me, the director, it was a three minute long conversation. She said, “I'm doing a movie about Wonder Woman. Do you want to be her trainer? And I was like, “Yes. Of course.” And the general of the Amazonian army. That was pretty cool. Secondly, what this film symbolizes. What is the message that is so timely? We need to hear more of this because it’s just about love and equality and justice.
Well, that is one thing I actually really loved about Diana is that she wants to be a hero and she knows right from wrong. I loved this. It’s not a conflict whatsoever with her. And I loved that character development with her. Your character pretty much encourages her to be the warrior character. Why is that? Does your character feel the impending threat is coming?
Robin Wright: Yes.
Yes.
Robin Wright: It’s a sixth sense that it is coming and I think that’s also in the mythological story behind Antiope and Queen Hippolyta. They know it’s coming and it’s her duty as the aunt to her young niece to make sure she is the fiercest warrior of all time.
When the Germans hit Themyscira, there is a lot of badass women kicking ass. How excited are you to see fans react to that?
Robin Wright: Well it’s so great that they don’t use guns.
Absolutely. How cool is that?
Robin Wright: It’s hand combat. Yes, swords and knifes and arrows, but the precision that they have, right, as these warrior women; it’s so nice to see that disparity between what we had in the day of just raw fighting materials and the guns and how easy that is in comparison.
Now the general message of the film can mean a lot to a lot of people because Ares is essentially not the warmonger that he’s pointed out to be. It’s all about mankind. So, in your opinion, what do you think the general message of this film is?
Robin Wright: To create a future of better human beings because there is that evil entity that is all over this globe. Right? Running countries and that message, the fact that it is a 75 year old story that was placed in the hands of a female superhero, how advanced was that? We are here today. We almost had a female president. We, um, I think it’s our new future.
I hope so.
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From Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Entertainment comes the epic action adventure starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright, directed by Patty Jenkins.
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
