Gal Gadot is opening up about what it was like to work with Joss Whedon.
On Saturday, May 8, the Wonder Woman actress spoke to the Israeli news channel N12 and shared more detail about her experience with the director, who stepped in to film (and re-shoot) Justice League after Zack Snyder exited the movie following a family tragedy.
Per Deadline, Gal previously hinted that her “experience” with Joss “wasn’t the best one.” However, she explained, “But I took care of it there and when it happened. I took it to the higher-ups.”
But now, the 36-year-old star is elaborating on her past remarks about the 56-year-old Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator.
“What I had with Joss, basically, is that he kind of threatened my career and told me that if I did something, he would ensure that my career would be miserable,” Gal told the TV channel, which has been translated from Hebrew to English. “And I simply handled it on the spot.”
In the past year, the director has come under fire, with several actors from his projects coming forward with their own stories about working with him. This includes Justice League star Ray Fisher, as well as Buffy actress Charisma Carpenter.
His ex-wife, Kai Cole, has also addressed his public persona and how it differs behind closed doors, accusing him of being a “hypocrite preaching feminist ideals.”
She accused him of having “many secret affairs” throughout their marriage and added, “I want the people who worship him to know he is human, and the organizations giving him awards for his feminist work, to think twice in the future about honoring a man who does not practice what he preaches.”
Charisma, who worked with Joss on Buffy and Angel, posted via Instagram on Feb. 10 that he “abused his power on numerous occasions” during production on his shows. She continued, “While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me and alienate me from my peers. The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer.”
Buffy lead Sarah Michelle Gellar wrote on Instagram in part following Charisma’s post, “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon. … I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out.”
Amber Benson, who played Tara Maclay on Buffy, tweeted in response to Charisma’s message, “Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top.”
Charisma’s comments came seven months after Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in 2017’s Justice League, tweeted that Joss’ “on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.”
In December, media outlets including The Hollywood Reporter reported that WarnerMedia completed an investigation into the DC Comics franchise following Ray’s accusations.
