If there was any doubt in your mind as to just how badass Lynda Carter is, this should put that to rest. The 66-year-old OG Wonder Woman is not only a strong advocate for women’s rights, but also a fierce supporter of her beloved TV character — which is why she is having none of director James Cameron’s criticism of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman.
Cameron’s previous comments about the movie — that it was a “step backwards” for women — didn’t go over well, so fans of both the film and the character were surprised when he doubled down on his remarks in a different interview this week. In response, Carter wrote a Facebook note telling the Avatar director to stay in his lane.
Calling Cameron a “poor soul,” Carter wrote that he probably just doesn’t understand the character. “I most certainly do,” she asserted. “Like all women — we are more than the sum of our parts. Your thuggish jabs at a brilliant director, Patty Jenkins, are ill advised. This movie was spot on.”
As for Gal Gadot? Carter loved her portrayal. “Gal Gadot was great. I know, Mr. Cameron — because I have embodied this character for more than 40 years. So — STOP IT.”
Cameron first drew the ire of Wonder Woman fans when, in an interview withThe Guardian last month, he said, “She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards.” He also explained why he believes his character Sarah Connor, from The Terminator franchise, is a better role model because she “was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit.”
Asked about those comments by The Hollywood Reporter this week, he replied, “Yes, I’ll stand by that. I mean, she was Miss Israel, and she was wearing a kind of bustier costume that was very form-fitting. She’s absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. To me, that’s not breaking ground. They had Raquel Welch doing stuff like that in the ’60s. It was all in a context of talking about why Sarah Connor — what Linda [Hamilton] created in 1991 — was, if not ahead of its time, at least a breakthrough in its time.”
He did admit, though, that it was “probably a little bit of a simplistic remark” on his part, and that he thought Wonder Woman “was a good film. Period.”
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(Photo via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty)
