The unusual Hollywood "feud" that has now shown itself between James Cameron and those associated with Wonder Woman continues to play itself out in public. It would all happen at the end of last month when the filmmaker bucked the trend to come out and criticize the Patty Jenkins blockbuster for the very thing it was being lauded for - empowering women.
He took the incredible stance that it was somehow a backwards step for females. As Jenkins offered a lengthy Facebook post in response, the Avatar director expanded on his comments and pointed to his own Terminator property as a case study.
JC: Gal Gadot Is Just a 2017 Version of Raquel Welch
Sitting side by side with his new colleague Tim Miller as he spoke with THR about everything from Terminator 6 to Avatar 2 and more, the discussion started with that critique. Would he like a chance to clarify what he said?
"Yes, I'll stand by that," he responded. "I mean, she (Gal Gadot) 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. I don't think it was really ahead of its time because we're still not (giving women these types of roles)."
When he was referred onto Jenkins' line of argument, saying that women don't have to be rough and gritty to be strong, Cameron stood by his original stance.
"Linda looked great. She just wasn't treated as a sex object," he argued back. "There was nothing sexual about her character. It was about angst, it was about will, it was about determination. She was crazy, she was complicated. … She wasn't there to be liked or ogled, but she was central, and the audience loved her by the end of the film. So as much as I applaud Patty directing the film and Hollywood, uh, 'letting' a woman direct a major action franchise, I didn't think there was anything groundbreaking in Wonder Woman. I thought it was a good film. Period. I was certainly shocked that (my comment) was a controversial statement. It was pretty obvious in my mind. I just think Hollywood doesn't get it about women in commercial franchises. Drama, they've got that cracked, but the second they start to make a big commercial action film, they think they have to appeal to 18-year-old males or 14-year-old males, whatever it is. Look, it was probably a little bit of a simplistic remark on my part, and I'm not walking it back, but I will add a little detail to it, which is: I like the fact that, sexually, she had the upper hand with the male character, which I thought was fun."
Lynda Carter: Get Back In Your Box And Shut Up Cameron
Original Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter did not hesitate to send a parting shot the way of Cameron. Using Facebook as her platform, the veteran went as far to call his opinion "thuggish."
"To James Cameron -STOP dissing WW: You poor soul," she posted. "Perhaps you do not understand the character. I most certainly do. 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. Gal Gadot was great. I know, Mr. Cameron--because I have embodied this character for more than 40 years. So--STOP IT."
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