Patty Jenkins cast Kristen Wiig in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ because she wanted a "total juxtaposition" to Gal Gadot.
The 46-year-old actress plays the villain Barbara Minerva aka Cheetah, a former friend of Gal’s character Wonder Woman / Diana Prince and director Patty says Kristen brings something extra to the role.
She explained to Total Film magazine: "It doesn’t have to be against expectations, I think it has to be fresh, you know? If it was just a vixen… like, Gal’s a model, a full-blown model. If we cast another full-blown model and it’s a cat fight? That felt a little dull, versus a beautiful woman who’s totally different – Kristen – who’s really funny but a total juxtaposition to Gal. So they have such a different space. I thought that was an interesting way to tell the story."
Pedro Pascal, 45, also plays a villain in the sequel, taking on the role of Maxwell Lord and Patty felt that the movie needed two baddies to accurately tell the story.
She explained: "It turned out that the story was the thing that gave birth to the need for both. It wasn’t that I thought I needed both. Cheetah was the villain that we were focused on having in this movie, but then Max Lord, throughout the history of Wonder Woman comics – he serves a very mechanical purpose, often.
"So because he has a big corporation and, in this movie, he has a big infomercial thing, he’s often uncovering things, and doing things that make big changes, so we wanted Max Lord as part of the fabric of the world at large. Max Lord is a great ‘Wonder Woman’ character. I love him serving the role he is right now. Pedro Pascal is fantastic at this role. It’s like you’ve never seen him before too."
Kristen Wiig a ‘total juxtaposition’ to Gal Gadot
