Where are all the leading ladies at?
They've been all but missing from the overwhelming flood of fan fervor: spoiler stills, leaked tidbits and viral marketing for this summer's biggest comic book blockbusters.
But look no further: USA Weekend got Liv Tyler, Gwyneth Paltrow and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who are appearing in upcoming classic comic remakes, to unleash their inner geek in a roundtable discussion that touches on their favorite super heroines, why X-ray vision is the dirtiest super power and why their characters are more than just eye candy.
Tyler replaces Jennifer Connelly as Bruce Banner's girlfriend Betty Ross in The Incredible Hulk, Paltrow plays Tony Stark's confidant in Iron Man and Gyllenhaal steps in (replacing Katie Holmes) as Bruce Wayne's lawyer pal in The Dark Knight. Here are some of the 'view highlights:
On being the only woman in a comic book movie:
Liv: I'm used to that world from The Lord of the Rings, even though it wasn't really a comic book.
Maggie: Everybody on my set was a guy! I have two lovers in the movie, and they're both these gorgeous men. Come to think of it, there were a lot of powerful, manly men around, and I didn't mind that particularly. [Laughs.]
Gwyneth: Mine was definitely a testosterone-fest. I was the only girl for miles ... and every time I went back to work, they were happy to have a girl there. They had kind of forgotten that there were women in the world.
On women in comic movies:
Gwyneth: There's a reason why they're hiring actresses like us. We're all women, we're all mothers, and we all normally do different films. There's a certain understanding of who we are and what we bring and a certain respect for that.
Maggie: Twenty or 30 years ago, the women in these films were vapid and just appeared for extra silliness.
Liv: In all these films, our characters have real jobs and really fall in love and have real dilemmas. When you look at the history of the comic books, the women also have changed.
On dream superheroes:
__Maggie (to Liv): __You'd be good as Wonder Woman.
__Liv: __No, you look more like her, especially in the face. Maybe we should both be her for Halloween this year and wear matching outfits. I've always really liked Catwoman for some reason: Eartha Kitt and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Gwyneth: Yeah, Michelle Pfeiffer was great.
Liv: I related to the nerdy person she was at home -- that was so me.
On dream superpowers:
Gwyneth: Hmm, flying would be good. I was going to say invisibility, but it's a little bit dishonest ...
Maggie: Yeah, because then you could just sneak around --
Gwyneth: -- and X-ray vision is definitely dishonest.
Maggie: It seems a little dirty.
Liv: I definitely wouldn't want to read people's minds.
Maggie: That could get you into real trouble.
__Liv: __I'd like to be Aquaman and breathe underwater.
Maggie: I might get claustrophobic if I did that. I'd probably choose flying. I'd get into too much trouble if I could read minds or become invisible or see through people's clothes.
Gwyneth: There is an ethical line you don't want to cross.
See also:
- Will She be Back? Rumors Fly for Sarah Connor Chronicles
- Simian Superheroes Coming to Comics with Marvel Apes
- First Look: Speed Racer Zips in Candy-Colored World
[via USA Weekend]
