Page 29 - ARUBA TODAY

A29
PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 31 May 2017

How ‘Wonder Woman’ built a world of women, onscreen and off

SANDY COHEN in theaters Friday. Gal doubted the appeal of the
AP Entertainment Writer Gadot plays the title char- lasso-wielding superhero-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a acter, who discovers her ine.
world of only women, there superpowers and fights for “I don’t understand why
are no phallic structures. justice alongside humans somebody who has had
At least that’s how Patty after following a charming zero big blockbuster rep-
Jenkins imagined the island spy (Chris Pine) to London resentation for 75 years still
home of the Amazons and during World War I. has 15 little girls a minute
their heroic princess Diana, The Israeli-born Gadot coming to my door dressed
who grows up to become didn’t grow up with Won- as her every Halloween, like
Wonder Woman. der Woman, but she was how does that not equal
“Like columns? They didn’t always on the lookout for dollar signs?” Jenkins said.
make that much sense to powerful characters to Connie Nielsen, who plays
me,” Jenkins said in a re- play. Diana’s mother, Amazon
cent interview. “Usually the women are queen Hippolyta, also
“They felt like an imposi- the damsel in distress or the didn’t grow up with Won-
tion on landscape, which heartbroken woman or the der Woman, but had myr-
didn’t feel like something sidekick, but in real life it’s iad other models of pow-
that women are jonesing not the case. In real life, we erful women as a child in
to do.” bring life. We have babies. Denmark.
As the director of “Wonder We have careers. We are “The Denmark I grew up in
Woman ,” Jenkins is creat- so many other things,” said was a Denmark in which
ing new worlds for women Gadot, a 32-year-old mar- women were, in fact, fully In this May 20, 2017 photo, director Patty Jenkins, standing left,
both onscreen and off. Not ried mother of two. “Won- liberated and the whole Robin Wright, seated left, Gal Gadot,standing right, and Connie
only did she help dream der Woman symbolizes the world had been opened Nielsen pose for a portrait at the “Wonder Woman” junket in
up the look of the Ama- magnificence of a woman up to us,” she said. Culver City, Calif.
zon island and hire scores and how amazing women “In the magazines in the included horseback riding, all.”
of actresses to serve as its are. early ‘80s, it was men who archery and swords(wo) With the film’s arrival this
resident warriors, she’s the And I think that it’s an im- were photographed do- manship. For Robin Wright, week, Jenkins is think-
first woman to direct a ma- portant movie not only for ing the vacuum cleaning in who was raised on the ing about what “Wonder
jor superhero movie, and women and girls, but it’s the ads for vacuum clean- “Wonder Woman” TV Woman” might mean for a
her success could pave the also great for boys and ers and women were no show, training and shooting new generation of aspiring
way for others. men... You can’t empower longer posing on the Ford with the Amazons was the superheroes — and film-
As a child, she was inspired women if you don’t edu- Mustang.” best part. makers.
by Wonder Woman, de- cate the men and you So Nielsen felt entitled to “I think it was a little daunt- “I am a filmmaker who
scribing Lynda Carter’s don’t teach the boys, so as question why, on an island ing for the men because wants to make successful
portrayal on TV as “the much as it’s important for populated by only women, it was very unusual. I think films, of course. I want my
embodiment of everything girls to be exposed and see her character would wear there were like 120 Ama- film to be celebrated,” she
that I wanted to be as a this movie, it’s important for high heels. She and Gadot, zons,” said Wright, who said.
woman.” boys to have a strong fe- both statuesque, wear plays the warrior Antiope, “But there’s a whole other
“When I was playing Won- male figure that they can wedges in the film. Diana’s aunt and teacher. person in me who’s sitting
der Woman, I was able look up to.” “I actually had that con- “That’s a different energy and watching what’s hap-
to do incredible things Wonder Woman was cre- versation several times, on the set, and great for pening right now who so
and save the world,” the ated in 1941, yet this is her and Patty was adamant,” us. We just felt like a team hopes, not for me, that this
45-year-old filmmaker said. first solo feature film. Jen- Nielsen said. The costumes, of women that had each movie defies expectation.
That’s the feeling she kins wanted to bring her including the wedges, had other’s backs.” Because I want to see the
hopes to evoke with view- to the big screen for more to be considered during She called Jenkins “the big- signal that that will send to
ers of “Wonder Woman,” than a decade, but studios the physical training, which gest cheerleader of them the world.”q
Kathy Griffin apologizes for Trump photo: ‘I went too far’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first video showed a The video had appar-
Kathy Griffin says she went straight-faced Griffin slow- ently been removed from
way too far when she ap- ly lifting the bloody head. Shields’ blog by late Tues-
peared in a brief video She originally described day.
Tuesday holding what the project with photog- CNN, whose New Year’s
looked like President Don- rapher Tyler Shields as an Eve coverage Griffin has
ald Trump’s bloody, sev- “artsy fartsy statement” co-hosted, called the im-
ered head. mocking the commander ages “disgusting and of-
The comic posted a video in chief. fensive.”
later Tuesday apologizing Many online called for “We are pleased to see
for the video image, say- Griffin to be jailed. she has apologized,” CNN
ing it was “too disturbing” In her apology video, Grif- said in a statement. “We
and wasn’t funny. fin begs her fans for for- are evaluating New Year’s
“I sincerely apologize,” she giveness and says she has Eve and have made no
said. “I went way too far. asked the photographer In this Feb. 11, 2017 file photo, comedian Kathy Griffin attends decisions at this point.”
The image is too disturb- to remove the images. the Clive Davis and The Recording Academy Pre-Grammy Gala A publicist for Shields did
ing. I understand how it of- “I made a mistake, and I in Beverly Hills, Calif. Griffin says she knew her new photo shoot not respond to a request
with photographer Tyler Shields would “make noise.”
fends people.” was wrong,” she says. Associated Press for comment.q