Gal Gadot proved to be the perfect choice for the role of Wonder Woman, given her prior experience in action-packed roles and her skills in Krav Maga and Karate. However, she had a difficult time playing the character in Justice League 2017. Not just Gadot, most of the cast members shared their frustration at having to re-shoot the film under the new director, Joss Whedon.
Whedon was uncredited for his work on Justice League, which he took over from Zack Snyder after the latter had to step away from the movie due to his daughter’s untimely death. Whedon allegedly created a toxic environment on set, reworking almost 90% of the footage Snyder had already filmed.
Gal Gadot Accused Joss Whedon Of Threatening Her Career
Before her stint in Justice League, Gal Gadot had previously worked with Zack Snyder on Batman v. Superman, establishing a rapport with the director. When Joss Whedon replaced the Man of Steel director, Gadot remained professional and continued working with the new director. However, trouble arose during the reshoots when Whedon wanted to add a s*xualized comedy scene involving Gadot’s Diana Prince and Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen.
Gadot refused to film the scene and fought with the director. The scene eventually made it to the big screen, with Gadot’s part played by a body double. The Avengers director even threatened to make the Fast & Furious actress’s career miserable. Gadot later in an interview with the Israeli news site, N12, revealed (translated):
“What I had with Joss basically is that he kind of threatened my career. And said if I did something, he would make my career miserable. I handled it on the spot.”
The Red Notice actress later shared in another interview with Elle that the executives at Warner Bros. took care of the issue. Interestingly, Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, also accused the director of mistreating him on set when he voiced concerns about the revised script. However, Whedon’s response to Gadot’s allegations made things even worse for him.
Joss Whedon Stated That Gal Gadot Misunderstood Him
Joss Whedon did not take kindly to the criticisms from the Justice League cast, even calling them the rudest people he ever worked with. However, Whedon tried to clarify the allegations made by Gadot and blamed the Heart of Stone actress’s proficiency in the English language for the misunderstanding. In an interview with New York Magazine, the Avengers: Age of Ultron director shared (published on Vulture):
“I don’t threaten people, who does that? English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech.”
However, his response was received in poor taste, and when the magazine reached out to Gadot for a comment, she responded:
“I understood perfectly. I will never work with him and would never suggest any of my peers work with him in the future.”
Joss Whedon’s version of Justice League failed to impress the audience. Rubbing salt on this wound, Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released in 2021 and was widely regarded as the superior of the two. Whedon has since largely remained out of the spotlight. Once hailed as one of the finest superhero movie directors, Whedon’s reputation took a significant hit with Justice League and the allegations.
Both Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League are now available for streaming on Max.
Source: N12 news – Twitter, Vulture, Elle
