Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Owing to James Cameron’s excellence when it comes to writing women, he was pretty vocal about Petty Jenkins’Wonder Womanfor oversexualizing Diana, stating it was a step backward for female representation on the big screen.
Oddly, there was a deep level of irony in the director’s complaint againstWonder Woman, as he claimed that the character was misguided. Back in 2009,The Terminatordirector engaged in a gleeful interview with Playboy, revealing that the reasoning behind the inclusion of t*ts in Zoe Saldana’s Neyitiri was a way to appeal to the male demographic.
Also read:“I had this horrific image”: James Cameron was Forced to Work All Night for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $378 Million Movie in Fear of Not Meeting the Intended Deadline
James Cameron Ignored Biology to Make Neyitiri Hot to Appeal to Men
When it comes to the geography and the animals,James Cameronand the crew working onAvatarwere pretty thorough about each individual creature and plant as all were cataloged in a 350-pagePandorapedia. But the acclaimed director was fixated on adding t*ts toZoe Saldana‘s Neyitiri, even though biologically, it didn’t make any sense as they weren’t placental mammals. Eventually, he did move on with the decision, making Neyitiri“smoking hot”, stating that men“will have actual lust for a character that consists of pixels of ones and zeroes”. Hesaid,
“Right from the beginning I said, ‘She’s got to have t*ts,’ even though that makes no sense because her race, the Na’vi, aren’t placental mammals. I designed her costumes based on a taparrabo, a loincloth thing worn by Mayan Indians. We go to another planet in this movie, so it would be stupid if she ran around in a Brazilian thong or a fur bikini like Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C.”
While it can’t be said for sure whether Cameron was joking in the interview, on the bright side, his contribution to creating iconic female leads can’t be understated.
Also read:“They deserve a fair wage”: Avatar’s VFX Artists Get Much Needed Support Over Planning to Unionize After Helping James Cameron Build a $5.2 Billion Worth Franchise
James Cameron Didn’t FindWonder WomanGroundbreaking
From Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley and Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor to Kate Winslet’s Rose and Zoe Saldana’s Neyitiri, James Cameron is second to none when it comes to writing women. Not only these are some of the best female leads ever put to the silver screen but are also some of the most iconic movie characters in general. And following his prowess in creating such great leads, it’s reasonable to see why Petty Jenkins’ depiction of one of the most popular fictional characters didn’t sit well with him. Per him, there was nothing“groundbreaking in Wonder Woman.”
Also read:James Cameron’s Brilliant Strategy Saved Titanic From Falling Prey To a VFX-Induced Monstrosity
Despite his statements on Neyitiri, which hasn’t aged well with time, the director did hit the ball out of the park with Neyitiri in Avatar 2, especially in the third act, which Zoe Saldana completely owned.
AvatarandAvatar: The Way of Waterare available to stream on Disney Plus.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2542
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
