World News – USA – Kristen Wiig would have said yes to a line in Wonder Woman 1984

For the Saturday Night Live star who loves superhero movies, playing Cheetah was even better: « It was huge for me to list of things I wanted to do. ”

« I want you to know, I dressed up for the interview, » a dryly sarcastic Kristen Wiig said from a computer screen. Dressed in a worn sweatshirt, she told of a familiar situation: How a month-long regime of video chats and conferences had gradually worn down her efforts to appear presentable in front of the camera.

« First, try to look normal, » she said on Tuesday. « And then you’re only normal from the waist down. And now I’m just like that, that’s me. I have baby food with me and we just have to accept each other. ”

Wiig recently returned to Los Angeles after a hurricane in New York, where she lives with her husband, actor Avi Rothman, and their two young children. She was there to host « Saturday Night Live, » the NBC institution where she played dozens of lovable eccentrics and sympathetic outsiders.

That would be a fitting finale for 2020, but Wiig has one more act: She starred in « Wonder Woman 1984, » the DC superhero sequel to Warner Bros.. . released in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday.

This sequel to the 2017 blockbuster “Wonder Woman” directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot as defending champion from Amazonia doesn’t seem to suit Wiig: She is better known for outrageous comedies like “Bridesmaids” (in which she and Annie Mumolo played and wrote) and melancholy independent films like « The Skeleton Twins » and « Welcome to Me ». ”

{them to become the vicious cheetah. Playing Barbara Minerva lets Wiig swap punches in comic action sequences and at the same time calls on her finely tuned talents for introversion and extroversion.

As Wiig said on Tuesday, « I’m excited and just as nervous » to see how viewers will react to their performance in what is by far the greatest film of their career.

She also talked about the making of the role, her love for superhero movies, and her new life as a mother of twins, who were born earlier this year. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Before Wonder Woman 1984, did you ever imagine playing or playing a villain in a comic book blockbuster?

It sure was a claim. It was huge on my list of things to do. I love big action films and I love superhero films. I loved all of the Chris Nolan Batman films and all of the « Avengers » films « Deadpool » – you name it, I’ve seen it. I saw « Wonder Woman » in the theater when it opened and when she came over that ditch the crowd cheered. And it was a superhero, so I got very emotional.

You have also made a lot of idiosyncratic independent films. Is it now impossible for you to return to this world?

I don’t know if I can say that I only want to do one type of film. I made films on literally no budget and the dialogue was improvised, like « Nasty Baby » I did with my friends in Brooklyn. I always tell myself that I want to be happy when I show up on set and I say yes to things I want to do.

I received a call from my agent that Patty Jenkins wanted to speak to me. And I thought, just tell her yes no matter what it is. I was hoping it was a Wonder Woman thing, but I didn’t know about it. I didn’t know if I would have a line – if she wanted me to be the crazy neighbor next door it would be, « Goodbye Diana! »

I knew about Cheetah, but there are so many different versions of this character and I was curious what it would be. But when I heard Patty’s ideas, I understood a little more why she was thinking of me. Maybe because Barbara is really embarrassed at first – I have this side to myself. And after I got the role, she went into more detail about who Barbara was.

I always love bad guys who you root a bit where you understand why they are bad. What I loved about her is that Barbara is always in there. Even if she completely becomes Cheetah, you can see Barbara there, and Diana can see Barbara there. I loved this conflict that she and the audience get into because she is so personable, nervous and insecure. We all have moments when we felt like Barbara.

Is it a drawer for you when I say I have lightning bolts from some of your most famous « S.. . N. . L.. . « Characters – uncomfortable loners like Penelope and larger-than-life outsiders like Target Lady – in your performance?

I mean, they’re all inside of me. I don’t know how to get rid of them. [Laughs]

A “S. . N. . L.. . I have to work out inside myself what insecurity feels like. And then you take it to a 10 or 11. But whether I have a character on « S. . N. . L.. . « Or in » Wonder Woman « I have to find what I think that is in me. There are definitely characters that I’ve played that I have nothing in common with, and I still have to figure out how to get there in an authentic way.

Do people expect you to be tall and boisterous in real life because they’ve seen you played these kind of characters before?

Oh yes, all the time. When people know you are an actor they think you are going to tell this amazing story of what happened to you on the way to dinner and it will be fascinating. Add the fact that I’m known for doing mostly comedy and it’s like, « OK, where are the voices? » I am not going to make characters now. It is believed that acting is an extroverted thing. But it is not necessarily so.

Where do you find these qualities in yourself when playing such roles?

It depends on the character, but once I do – especially « S. . N. . L.. . , « Because it’s live and millions of people are watching – you just come into a zone. And then you snap out. It’s funny because even though Barbara is nervous and insecure at first, it was harder for me to play than who she will later be.

Because in the beginning I was resistant to giving her a sense of humor. I didn’t want her to be too similar to the things I’d done before, or that I couldn’t do that part without adding something that wasn’t Kristen. But Patty and I had this one conversation that completely changed my brain, where she thought, if you allow yourself to just let that humor out, it will feel authentic and it won’t feel as weird as you think. And it completely changed my experience. If Cheetah is angry it is, OK, now I am that person. Perhaps because there is more of me in Barbara, I actually had a more difficult time with this part of the shoot.

[exhales audibly] Yes. Almost two months before shooting started, I got a trainer – the film wanted me to start. If you watch the movie, we’ve learned and performed all of these fighting sequences, in addition to our stunt people. There are definitely some C’s. . G. I. Elements later, but for the most part it’s wire work. They are all real people. I was basically in pain for nine months. And it’s very easy to complain and say, oh my god, I can’t even go up the stairs. But to be honest, it was so helpful to be stronger in figuring out who that character was. I just felt very good.

There is a scene where Barbara, just beginning to step into her powers, walks into a party and is delighted that she is the center of attention. Was it as comfortable for you to do as it was for you, or do you feel the glare of the spotlight even more?

It’s a combination of both. The set was really amazing and when you find yourself in a scene with a lot of background actors watching you can’t help but feel a little more confident. But it was the part in the story where Barbara really starts spinning and feeling it. She probably went to these parties before she felt so invisible. And that’s different for her – her life is changing. It was really fun to play that.

There is another sequence in which Barbara takes revenge on a terrible guy who molested her in an earlier scene, in classic comic book fashion. Was that satisfactory to do?

I loved shooting this scene. Barbara is so sad and has always wanted this other life and with it comes so much trouble that she didn’t even notice that she had it. And seeing how she can just unleash it and say, « Oh, I like the way this tastes – I’ll keep going », it was really fun shooting that. I like that it wasn’t just a random person who robbed someone in an alley. As a viewer, you got into a bit of a conflict – you like, oh, I like that she does this to this guy. But then it goes too far. We have to acknowledge that. I can’t approve of it.

Is it possible that Barbara not only wants to be equal or superior, but that she is drawn to Diana?

How dressed? I’ve heard people suggest that. As for my intentions, how I’ve played it, it was really just her, to see Diana as the beautiful, popular girl who has the best of life and all that I don’t have. There is so much admiration there. But if people want to see it that way, it’s definitely up for interpretation.

The Warner Brothers decision to make Wonder Woman 1984 and other upcoming films immediately available on HBO Max has generated a wide variety of responses from filmmakers, talent and audiences. What do you think?

That’s a complicated question. We all still mourn the entire theater experience and it hits a lot of people. But I’ll say that personally I haven’t felt comfortable telling people to go out when it’s not safe, and I’m glad people can see it now without worrying about their health to care. It’s really complicated and nobody is winning right now. But it’s the best scenario when it’s out at Christmas knowing people can see it and be safe when they have to.

Are there lessons you can learn from a movie of this size that you can apply to your smaller, more intimate comedy and drama performances?

Yes – taking on a role and being nervous is probably normal for most actors. It is for me. But when it’s over, feeling like you did, just feeling like you can take more risks next time. There were definitely times when I was very aware of how big the role was. In all honesty, I don’t go on the internet, but I know there were people who were surprised that I played that role. This may come to mind even though I’m trying not to read any of it. But ultimately, I want to take more risks and I think it’s important for me to feel this nervousness when I’m doing things. It makes me find something deep inside that I didn’t know was there.

It’s great. Big isn’t even the word – it’s better than great. It’s strange that everything is in quarantine. This is a big negative because we obviously can’t do anything, or go anywhere, or see certain family members. But they’re amazing and I’ve never been happier in my entire life. I am such a homebody. I am happy to be with them all day. Not under these circumstances, of course, but I love being home with them.

I would love a nice, framed photo of myself, my husband, and my kids. It would just be a nice thing. And maybe a good moisturizer.

Wonder Woman 1984, Cheetah, Kristen Wiig, DC Comics, DC Universe, Saturday Night Live