‘Wonder Woman’ Gal Gadot on Playing Lead Female Superhero

Elizabeth Wagmeister

Wonder Woman has been around for nearly eight decades, but the superhero has never flown into theaters for her own title movie — until now, with Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman,” the final film of DC Comics’ trinity, which will be released on Jun. 2.

“Wonder Woman” being showcased on the big screen as a big-budget summer blockbuster has never been more meaningful than in 2017, when the conversation of women in the workplace, gender equality, and the pay gap has been at the forefront of Hollywood. And the significant moment has not gone unnoticed by its star.

“Growing up, I had Superman and Batman to look up to,” Gadot told Variety Thursday night on the blue carpet at the world premiere of the film held in Hollywood. “All the boys and all the girls, that’s what we had,” she said, reflecting on the male superheroes.

“I think that it’s so important that we have also strong female figures to look up to, and Wonder Woman is an amazing one,” Gadot continued. “It’s great that after 75…years that this character had been around, finally she gets her own movie.”

“Wonder Woman” also marks the first-ever live-action film to be directed by a woman with budget of more than $100 million. As for “Wonder Woman,” the flick cost $120 million to produce.

Director Patty Jenkins, who rose to prominence with Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning “Monster” in 2003, also spoke with Variety at the premiere, discussing the lack of female directors in the industry.

“I think more diverse stories will cause you to hire more diverse writers [and] will cause you to hire more diverse directors,” she said of how the industry can progress to include more female voices. “Obviously the audience is there.”