Pine fine to fall in love with Gal
US actor Chris Pine says working on Wonder Woman was 'an absolute dream'
To all the women waiting to see a kickass heroine in the movies with a man taking the love interest role, Wonder Woman is for you.
Israeli actress Gal Gadot plays Diana, princess of the Amazons, and US actor Chris Pine, while not exactly a dude-in-distress, does have to stand by as she saves the world.
The way Pine told it, it was director Patty Jenkins, 45, who convinced him to take the part of American spy Steve Trevor.
"So I met Patty at this bar, and she is like this ball of caffeinated energy. She was telling me this story, and 10 minutes later, it was yes, let's do this.
"I would not have sought the project out. I wouldn't have taken it if I read it, but I said yes before they even had a script because she referenced all these things I liked such as (action-adventure film) Romancing The Stone," said Pine.
The 36-year-old joked that his job in Wonder Woman is mainly to "fall in love with Gal, crack some jokes, and take my shirt off in one scene".
"I don't have to act at all; I just have to go on set and make this beautiful woman laugh. And there was no superhero burden of having to wear a cape or anything... I could let the beautiful Gal do that," he said, laughing.
"It was like you couldn't ask for more. I got paid well, travelled, and made a movie with people I loved. That's like a dream, an absolute dream."
Wonder Woman is set during World War I. Trevor crash lands near Themyscira, home of the Amazons, and is rescued by Diana, who has never seen a man before - nor does she have any idea of the outside world where the Germans have taken over several countries in the war.
Convinced it is the Amazons' old enemy Ares who has cast a spell on the Germans, she persuades Trevor to take her to the war's frontlines where she must confront Ares and show her mettle.
I don't have to act at all; I just have to go on set and make this beautiful woman laugh.Chris Pine
The movie, which opens here today, also stars Robin Wright as Diana's aunt General Antiope; Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta; David Thewlis as Trevor's superior, Sir Patrick Morgan, in London; and Danny Huston as General Erich Ludendorff.
The themes of the movie resonated with Pine.
He said: "How fascinating it was that Patty took this genre and the idea of a superhero and flipped it on its head and said, 'What if her greatest weapon is love and compassion?' If we can use these huge movies to say something important like that, I was happy to do it."
It makes no difference to him if the director is male or female.
He said Jenkins was keen on emotional nuance.
AUTHENTICITY
Said Pine: "She will not let you get away with mimicry rather than authenticity. There are really not that many people that care, and she really does.
"I have rarely met someone whose craft is as well-honed cinematically and visually as it is on the emotional level.
"She is a force of nature and is not to be trifled with. She does not suffer fools and I have seen her in rooms with a lot of powerful people, and she can own it."
Pine, known for playing Captain James Kirk in the Star Trek movies, has a unique take on working with Gadot, 32.
"I have never met someone as frustratingly optimistic and positive as she is. She is always like, 'The glass is always full.' And it's not even empty, it's overflowing.
"She was working out twice a day. She has a family. She uprooted her family and moved to London. And never once did she complain... and I love to complain," he added, laughing.
"One scene in particular where we were shooting the big denouement. We were on an airbase, and it was in the middle of winter. She was not wearing much, and it was so freezing cold that she could barely talk.
"They had to put blankets on her to prevent hypothermia, and she never once complained. She really had her eyes on the prize.
"I don't know if that is the military training in Israel, but it was such incredible work ethic.
"She's just a lovely person to be around. So I had a great time. It was easy falling in love with her."
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