Wonder Woman 1984 and Justice League actor Connie Nielsen explained that the Amazons almost had a truly horrific origin story before director Patty Jenkins stepped in.
Nielsen, who plays Queen Hippolyta in the DCEU, spoke to Collider about how Jenkins was able to craft the world of the Amazons in 2017’s Wonder Woman and last year’s sequel thanks to her clear and focused approach. She also revealed a piece of proposed Amazonian history that Jenkins smartly nixed when she came aboard the original film.
“She was very clear about what the Amazons were supposed to be,” Neilsen said. “And I think that there had originally been some idea that the Amazons had been deeply traumatized by some kind of horrible event that involved mass rape. And Patty just said, ‘Hm, no. No, no, we’re not gonna put that on those Amazons. We don’t want to start out seeing them as victims, and why would we? Let’s just get rid of that part and make sure that these are heroes in their own terms. They’ve not been part of the victims of history. They are these unbelievably courageous women and we’re not gonna saddle them with a trauma from the outset. We’re going to have them be received by people on the basis of who they are. What is their culture? Why are they so fierce? What does it mean to live on an island where there are no guys?’ It made so much sense, you know? You needed them to have a very uncomplicated background in order to be able to just accept them as the heroes that they are.”
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This wasn’t the only time the director pushed back and asserted her vision for Diana and the Amazons, as she objected to Wonder Woman cutting off villains’ heads. For Neilsen, Jenkins was able to influence the film so much because of her unique skills as a director.
“The reason why she does that and gets what she needs to get is because she’s very clear,” Neilsen said. “She has very clear thinking. And she’s able to transmit those ideas in a very clear way. And so she doesn’t need to be mean, she doesn’t need to push the envelope because she’s right. She’s thought it through. She knows what she’s talking about. She’s super well prepared. She has great instincts. She’s a great director and she’s a great visionary in her own right.”
Directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film is out now digitally and arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD March 30.