Gal Gadot Says She Was ‘Shocked’ by Joss Whedon’s Comments on Justice League Set: ‘It’s Not Okay’
"I was shaking trees as soon as it happened," Gal Gadot recalled of a situation when director Joss Whedon allegedly threatened her career on the Justice League set
Gal Gadot is reflecting on being caught off guard by comments allegedly made by director Joss Whedon on the Justice League set.
The Wonder Woman actress, 36, previously claimed in May that Whedon, 57, threatened her career while working on the 2017 superhero movie, recalling him saying “that if I do something, he will make sure my career is miserable, and I took care of it on the spot.”
In a new conversation for ELLE’s “Women in Hollywood” November 2021 issue, Gadot said she was “shocked” by how Whedon spoke toward her on set.
“Oh, I was shaking trees as soon as it happened. And I must say that the heads of Warner Bros., they took care of it. … Going back to the sense of righteousness that I have … you’re dizzy because you can’t believe this was just said to you,” she said. “And if he says it to me, then obviously he says it to many other people.”
Added Gadot, “I just did what I felt like I had to do. And it was to tell people that it’s not okay.”
The star said she “would’ve done the same thing, I think, if I was a man” too: “Would he tell me what he told me had I been a man? I don’t know. We’ll never know. But my sense of justice is very strong.”
“I was shocked by the way that he spoke to me. But whatever, it’s done. Water under the bridge,” she said.
In April, her Justice League costar Ray Fisher spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in length about his own experience working with Whedon. In that report, Fisher spoke about his various allegations against Whedon and Warner Bros. executives in charge, and mentioned Gadot’s strained relationship with their director while working on Justice League.
Gadot said in a statement at that time: “I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner.”
While Fisher prompted an investigation at WarnerMedia after he claimed Whedon “was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable,” the profile reported that Gadot also had several issues with Whedon. An official investigation by WarnerMedia, led by former federal judge Katherine Forrest, concluded in “remedial action.”
Unnamed sources told the outlet the biggest clash between Whedon and Gadot was when the director allegedly made the actress record lines she didn’t like and threatened to harm Gadot’s career if she didn’t comply. He also reportedly disparaged Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins.
A witness on the production said that Whedon was “bragging that he had it out with Gal” after one of the clashes. “He told her he’s the writer and she’s going to shut up and say the lines and he can make her look incredibly stupid in this movie,” the witness told the outlet.
