Gal Gadot has responded after Joss Whedon said she “misunderstood” his alleged toxic behaviour as “English is not her first language”. TheWonder Woman star worked with Whedon when he replaced Zack Snyder as director of Justice League, which was released in 2017. In a translated interview with Israeli channel N12 in 2020, Gadot said: “I had my issues with Joss and I handled it. He kind of threatened my career and said if I did something, he will make sure my career is miserable.”
In April 2021, a Hollywood Reporter article claimed that Whedon turned nasty when Gadot questioned new lines of dialogue the director had given her superhero character. A witness said that after one clash, Whedon “bragged” that he’d “had it out” with the star. They added: “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.”
At the time, Gadot told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: “I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros handled it in a timely manner.” The director, who previously declined to comment on the several allegations of bad behaviour that have shattered his reputation, has now addressed them in New York Magazine. “I don’t threaten people. Who does that?” he said in the interview, which was widely criticised after being published on Monday (11 January).
Whedon recalled arguing with Gadot over a scene she wanted to cut. He claims that he told the Israeli star that, for the scene to be cut, she would have to tie him to a railroad track and do it over his dead body. He added: “English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech. Then I was told that I had said something about her dead body and tying her to the railroad track.”
Responding to Whedon’s claim, Gadot told the outlet: “I understood perfectly” Speaking about allegations made by Gadot’s Justice League co-star Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, Whedon said that he thinks Fisher is a “malevolent force” and a “bad actor”.
