The Magical Wonder Woman Duo: Gal Gadot and Chris Pine

By: Lynn Barker

In Wonder Woman, beautiful actress Gal Gadot, whom you may have seen in the Fast and Furious films and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, performs some hefty, non-stop action while expressing Diana Prince’s vulnerable, compassionate side and that is just how the versatile actress likes it.

Chris Pine, of Star Trek, Captain Kirk fame, was stoked to play American World War I pilot Steve Trevor, the man who lures Amazon princess Diana into the outside world where her powers can aid the good guys in their struggle. He’s also the first man she’s interacted with. Chris was delighted to be surrounded in the film by a bevy of gorgeous babes! 

During the interview, Gal had to stand while Chris sat because she had thrown her back out….”I’m not trying to be superior here or become a diva”.

Q: We know. How do you feel now that this movie is finally coming out?

• Gal: Amazing, overwhelming. I feel very grateful. So far so good. It’s like a dream coming true. Working on this project has been such a phenomenal, unique, special experience. Now, with some of the reactions and feedback we’ve been getting, I just feel like “thank you”. I’m super excited and very, very happy.

Q: I think one of Wonder Woman’s greatest super power is her compassion. Do you agree and do you hope that’s what people take away from seeing the movie?

• Gal: That’s one of her biggest strengths. When (director) Patty (Jenkins) and I first met, I told her about my grandfather who was a holocaust survivor and he had taught me that no matter how dark it gets in life you need to find your inner light and I think that compassion is a big (part of that). It was very important to both of us that this movie have a message. In these superhero movies it’s usually the bad guys are killed by the good guys and the end. But, we wanted to have a profound message that everyone can relate to and can take home and actually practice it.

Q: Cool. Can you talk about the stunts and fighting styles? We hear your director was very into it.

• Gal: Patty was always very invested whether it was the fight sequences or the emotional scenes. She was always there shoulder to shoulder with us. It was amazing. As far as fighting styles, we were working with the most professional people. We had the most amazing second unit directors and we did a lot of different types of martial arts but we mostly focused on our fight choreographies because there were so many and time was limited. I did a lot of this (she flicks her hand and arm indicating throwing her golden lasso. This makes Chris laugh) and sword work. I did a lot of boxing just because I enjoy it and it helped me build my body. Also it was very explosive and explosive movement was something that was really important for my character but I didn’t go through judo or Krav Maga martial arts.

Q: And you Chris?

• Chris: Me?  I didn’t have to do a darn thing (Gal laughs). All the women had to train and know a lot of choreography and I just simply didn’t. I just showed up, read a lot and I like to shoot guns and make it look like I know what I’m doing. I always like playing characters who’ve been educated in barroom fights. They just get it done as messy and as quick as possible and I have a great stunt double who is similar to me in that regard. We just figure it out. Every time I see something that is too sharply defined I want to make it as messy as possible. So, I didn’t do anything.

Q: Any injuries?

• Gal: I was bruised all the time. Nothing major; a mark here, a mark there but the most painful thing that happened to me was when we were shooting this fight sequence in Italy and I just stepped on a sea urchin.  That was painful but other than that, (no). Honestly, we got to work with such professionals that they made sure that once we got to set we were one hundred percent ready. There was no room for any question marks or mistakes. But it was challenging; the corsets, arching an arrow you get a bruise and it’s cold but it was worth it.

Q: So, Chris, how did you like being on set with so many women?

• Chris: I had great fun. We shot in Italy and it was me and beautiful saronged women doing their (thing). I had the time of my life vacationing in Italy making a film with Amazon warriors; one man’s hell, another man’s heaven.

Q: What do you love most about Diana/Wonder Woman?

• Gal: She embodies all the most wonderful qualities that I love in people. She is curious and warm and she’s loving and very inclusive. She assumes the best out of everyone. She’s sassy and has her own attitude which is wonderful but, at the same time, she’s not trying to be perfect. She can be very vulnerable and confused and naïve and worried and fixed on her mission but I love everything about her. I think, because she’s not perfect, she’s whole and interesting.

Q: Chris you fit very well into the movie. You are not intimidating with all these women around you but how is it playing the love of Wonder Woman’s life.

• Chris: (Motioning to Gal) Look at her. It’s not a bad gig. It’s a great and rare combination of qualities to have. She has to be physically very formidable and compelling and magnetic and I think that sometimes can come across as harsh because there is a sharpness to beauty sometimes. It can be very overwhelming. But, simultaneously, she has a warmth and a curiosity that’s very true and very childlike.
• When she smiles it makes me giggle because there is a purity to it. That softness and beauty and that strength that’s, to me, the critical combination and she has it in spades. She doesn’t have to try to do it. So, my job was very easy. I got to come to work, fall in love with her, make her laugh as much as I could, flirt, act like a jackass and that it.
• Gal: That’s really flattering and I paid him a lot of money to say that.

See Wonder Woman in theaters Friday, June 2^nd.

 

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