How Wonder Woman And Charlize Theron Inspired Supergirl Actor Sasha Calle [Exclusive]
The following post contains spoilers for "The Flash."
Older generations didn't get to see a lot of female action stars on the big screen. There was Sigourney Weaver in the "Alien" franchise and Linda Hamilton in "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," but the list was pretty short. These days, however, young people have many more faces and performances to inspire them. Characters like Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and actors like Michelle Yeoh in pretty much anything she does, for example, are now out there for future action stars to look up to. Certainly, the DC Universe's Gal Gadot in "Wonder Woman" is at the top of that list.
Sasha Calle is the latest name to join the ranks of female action stars with her turn in Warner Bros. Pictures/DC's "The Flash." She plays an alternate universe version of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, sent to Earth to protect her young cousin Kal-El, and her action scenes are intense.
I recently got a chance to chat with Calle about taking on the role, and I asked her which of the film's cameos really struck her. While I expected her to talk about one or two of the big names who appear during the Chronobowl scene, her answer was her DC superhero co-star, Gadot. She said Gadot inspired her, along with another action star, Charlize Theron.
'I had to put Charlize [Theron] because she did all her own stunts'
Sasha Calle was really enthusiastic about Gal Gadot's cameo in "The Flash" and explained to me why:
"Look, in 2017, I watched 'Wonder Woman,' Gal Gadot, and I remember seeing her and really feeling represented, and I was like, 'That's what I want to do.' I walked out of that screening, and I was like, 'That's me.' And I had this — the back of an IKEA frame, that wooden board in the back, and I created a vision board on there."
It's still hard to fathom that the 2017 "Wonder Woman" film was the first time the iconic DC superhero appeared on the big screen in live-action. Having attended the premiere, I can tell you that Calle's sentiment about Gadot's inspiration was echoed by everyone I overheard that night. Gadot wasn't the only action star Calle put on her vision board, however. She continued:
"That same year, I had seen 'Atomic Blonde,' and I put both of them [on it]. I put Gal Gadot in her Wonder Woman costume with a green screen fighting a stuntee, and I had to put Charlize [Theron] because she did all her own stunts. I thought that was the coolest thing."
If you haven't seen the 2017 David Leitch-directed "Atomic Blonde," Theron stars as Lorraine Broughton, a high-level MI6 agent on a mission to recover sensitive information. The film has some of the most visceral and brutal fight scenes that I've ever seen on camera. You can practically feel each punch as it lands.
'I really thank her for doing Wonder Woman'
Earlier in the interview, Sasha Calle said that she "did stunt training two hours a day, five times a week" and that it was her "dream" to do all her own stunts. While she spoke about the great stunt team behind her, Calle did end up doing a lot of them herself, just like Charlize Theron. She even went through a "superhero movement kind of test when you had to jump, run, aim, throw things, and they kind of had to see where you were at in terms of movement and precision and choreography as well."
As for meeting Gal Gadot for the first time, Calle revealed that it was a lot to take in. "The moment I met her — I'm not a fangirl in general, but man, I couldn't stand," she said. "She got out of the car, and she was like, 'Oh, baby!' And I was like, 'Oh my God,' I was so overwhelmed. I think she is just so gracious and beautiful and kind. I really thank her for doing 'Wonder Woman,' man. I saw that movie, and I knew that I could do it, too. And I think that she should know that and I will repeat that to her forever. So I'm really grateful, and I'm so happy that I got to meet her. Oh, it's so cool."
Hopefully, we'll continue to see Calle as Supergirl in future DC films because she's bound to end up on someone else's vision board as an inspiration for another generation of action stars.
"The Flash" is currently in theaters.