STACK #195 Jan 2021

CINEMA FEATURE

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STACK caught up with director Patty Jenkins and the stars of WonderWoman 1984 to get the lowdown on the new DC blockbuster. Words Gil Pringle

We have our own method and style of fighting... It’s feminine, beautiful, graceful and sexy

G al Gadot’s Wonder Woman soars and leaps through the skies. She stops tanks, takes on dozens of soldiers and whips the bad guys into submission with a flick of her golden lasso. Yet for all of Wonder Woman 1984 ’s amazing stunts, by far the most difficult and expensive scene proved to be Gadot’s girl fight with Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah/Barbara Minerva. “We had to build that entire space and have Cirque du Soliel performers practice the moves to show us how things would look, and then these guys had to do it for real,” says WW84 director Patty Jenkins of her leading ladies. “From the beginning, Gal and I talked about, however they’re going to fight, it would be completely different because they’re friends, or at least they were friends. Also it’s not about punching in the face; they’re both trying to literally get the other one under control.” For Wiig, best known for comedy, writing and

without getting the cable crossed,” she explains. Both actresses trained for strength and flexibility as well as dance and choreography. If Wiig is more accustomed to making audiences laugh, then she

starring in Bridesmaids , it was a daunting experience. “Patty made a point of

not wanting much CGI, so most of what you see is real people, whether it’s us or the stunt people,” she tells STACK via Zoom.

was surprised to be invited to play a villain. “I’m not usually asked to do those kind of things, to be honest. I’m a superhero geek, so I was relieved, shocked and happy, as well as feeling extra pressure when I signed on. We didn’t want it to be the typical mousy girl turned villain.” Jenkins never had any doubts Wiig was up to the challenge. “She’s a genius. She’s so smart and talented. She’s also one of the most sweet and sensitive people I’ve ever known. Gal and I both love her and were super fans. As the character of Barbara Minerva evolved, Kristen

“We had to prep and rehearse much longer than we thought and do a lot of wire work for the fight between Diana and Cheetah. I don’t think people do these kinds of wire rigs any- more, they just do CGI, but when you see it in the movie, you can just tell it’s the real deal. It’s the hardest movie I’ve ever shot by far.” Gadot relished their girl fight. “We have our own method and style of fighting, which is different. It’s not like the kick and the punch. It’s feminine, beautiful, graceful and sexy. The wire rigs were crazy and took months of work just to make sure we could do all the movements

JANUARY 2021

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