Patty Jenkins fired back after an interview in which James Cameron made disparaging comments about her movie Wonder Woman was published Thursday.
In an evening Twitter post, the director responded to Cameron’s knock that the film was “a step backwards” for female protagonists and that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is an “objectified icon.”
“James Cameron’s inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, though he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman,” wrote Jenkins. “Strong women are great. His praise for my film Monster, and our portrayal of a strong yet damaged woman was so appreciated.”
Jenkins went on to counter Cameron’s suggestion that Terminator protagonist Sarah Connor was the ideal female protagonist. (“She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit,” he said of the character played by Linda Hamilton.)
Jenkins noted that women don’t need to be one thing to be a hero.
“But if women have to always be hard, tough and troubled to be strong, and we aren’t free to be multidimensional or celebrate an icon of women everywhere because she is attractive and loving, then we haven’t come very far have we,” she wrote. “I believe women can and should be EVERYTHING just like male lead characters should be. There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman. And the massive female audience who made the film a hit it is, can surely choose and judge their own icons of progress.”
Cameron’s comments quickly drew ire on social media after his interview with The Guardian was published Thursday.
“I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards,” Cameron said in the interview.
Here’s Jenkins tweet:
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) August 25, 2017
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