Director Patty Jenkins shares that she initially was not so sure about Gal Gadot's casting as Wonder Woman. In this perception, Jenkins was not alone. Over the course of the last few years, countless fans have come forward antagonizing the casting decision. Naysayers have pointed out every single thing that they can nitpick about the actress - from her lack of acting range to her supposedly not having enough physical resemblance to the comic book icon.
Gadot first debuted as Diana Prince in last year's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but with a part so small, it was difficult to properly gauge her performance in the Zack Snyder film - though her performance did become a favorite among fans. It was only in her own standalone film, directed by Jenkins, that the actress truly proved her capability to effectively breathe the Amazonian princess to life. And again, just like everyone else, Jenkins was happy to be proved wrong.
In a recent chat with Playboy, Jenkins details that she almost gave up on her dreams of helming a Wonder Woman film when she first heard Gadot's casting. She explains that the Israeli thespian was not really what she had in mind in terms of the character:
"I remember when I read in the news that Wonder Woman had been cast and my heart sank. I had been talking to the studio for so long about doing it and I was like well 'that’s that.' I’m sure we wouldn’t have made the same choice. And then I started paying attention to her, and watching her and looking at her and it was just unbelievable. Frankly, I think they did a better job than I could have because I don’t know that I would have scoured the earth as hard to find her. I don’t know that I would’ve looked internationally. I would have just looked for an American girl. The fact that they found Gal and chose her is a magical gift to me."
Now, after working closely with Gadot for more than two years during the production of the film and doing rounds for press events, the filmmaker says that she could not imagine anyone who can embody Wonder Woman better than Snyder's original casting pick.
"She shares every quality with Wonder Woman and that’s no joke. It’s one of those rare things. You need someone who can appear to be Wonder Woman on screen. That’s what you’re looking for—someone who can embody all of those attributes on screen."
Despite many hurdles that Diana, Princess of Themyscira had to go through to eventually get to the big screen, things eventually turned out well. Wonder Woman is a massive hit all over the world and it provides renewed vigor for the DC Extended Universe.
Just like Wonder Woman in her origin film, Gadot beat all odds on her way to playing the role. She not only proved why she was deserving to land the gig, but why she is the most suitable person for it. There is a reason the character has never been fleshed out in the movie screens until now and that is because there is something very specific about the character that not everyone can pull off. Suffice to say, with the glowing reviews for Wonder Woman and Gadot's performance, she definitely possesses that certain intangible quality.
Next: Why Women-Only Wonder Woman Screenings Sold Out
Source: Playboy
