Of all the heroes leading the charge in the new DC Universe Original Animated Movie Justice Society: World War II, none are more decisively fierce and brutally efficient than Wonder Woman. Portrayed in the film by Stana Katic, Wonder Woman leads the JSA into battle to liberate Europe from the Axis Powers while acclimating to the unfamiliar outside world beyond her home on Themyscira.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Katic recounts how she developed Diana Prince's voice in the film, shares the empowering potential of the character and talks about finding the character's heart amidst all the wartime action.
Stana, you get to be Wonder Woman! How was it landing this role?
Stana Katic: Awesome! I know this character inspires and empowers so many people out there, me included! It was a no-brainer and, adding to that fact, knowing that [producer] Butch Lukic was a part of the team behind it, as well as [voice director] Wes Gleason -- whose work I've been a fan of since Batman: The Animated Series -- the two of them were truly the most amazing and decadent team members to have in participating in an animated feature. It was kind of a no-brainer across the board.
How was it finding the voice for Wonder Woman, not just as Diana but a Diana from the 1940s that hadn't completely integrated with the outside world yet?
Katic: The guys actually wanted to honor Wonder Woman's mythology, they wanted her to have an accent; Butch and Wes were very clear about that at the top. They kind of gave me a regional understanding of what they were looking for and the rest was on me. For me, what was interesting about that task was that I had to imagine what a Scythian warrior woman might sound like because, in the end, our story of Amazons is founded in something that seems to be true. If you look at the kurgans they're starting to dig, they're finding female warriors buried there; they believe they're Scythian.
Seeing that, researching some of that history knowing where the Amazon folklore most likely was based was part of the inspiration for where I got the seeds for this accent. And I also wanted to add a touch of my grandmothers because they're my girls, they survived World War II; I feel like they're Wonder Women too.
Was there a specific line in the script or bit of direction that helped inform your performance or was it largely based on that historical research?
Katic: The accent, once I got that first sort of guidepost from the guys, that was something I pulled together and showed them and they really enjoyed that and gave the greenlight to that. But I think there's a quality of leadership and quality of authority that's necessary for Wonder Woman in this story, certainly in the face of this Nazi onslaught, and that is something that Wes and Butch were very committed to standing guard over. They wanted to make sure that this character was a believable badass and a believable authority for the group, and they were consciously keeping that in our view.
She is absolutely a badass but she's also a character that always has her guard up, even with Steve Trevor. How was it finding that nuance in a character that is very mission-oriented but with a lot going on under the surface?
Katic: Definitely! This is a character, I think like most great leaders -- leaders that I respect and appreciate -- who is not predatory but is a leader who leads with the heart. That's something that I think is a Wonder Woman characteristic through every single iteration of Wonder Woman throughout history. It doesn't matter how much Nazi ass she kicks, she still has a tremendous amount of heart. I think finding the moments where we could allow for some of that to seep through a bit more, that was a bit of fine-tuning that we all did together. Ultimately, when you consider the relationship she has with Steve, that's probably one of the primary spaces where she's able to let her guard down just for a bit.
As a quick aside, I'm a James Bond fan and you got to be in Quantum of Solace. As Daniel Craig ends his run, how was it being in that film?
Katic: The Bond series of films is something that's now historic. I was on-set being filmed by camera operators who are the sons of the original director of photography. I was in the makeup chair of the woman who was the wife of one of the original crew members as well and you're dealing with the lineage of the Broccoli family. You kind of feel like you're walking on to the Paramount lot where there's a tremendous amount of history and pride and pedigree to that project. Just being able to participate in something like that, it was fun. Enjoying the cast and crew's company and joining all the wonderful features of London, it was a gift.
Looking back, now that the movie is done, what are you most proud of getting to add your own voice to Wonder Woman?
Katic: With quarantine being as quarantine is, we've also had to adjust living situations and so I've been taking care of family members through all of this. At one point, I had a number of nieces and nephews who came to live with us for a while, and, at one point, one of my nieces had to be taken into emergency. While we were waiting in emergency, she was nervous and I could see that so, in looking for something to distract her from her nerves, I showed her clips online of different versions of Wonder Woman, whether it was the animated version or a live-action television or film version.
I was just blown away by how much it empowered her, not just distracted her, it gave her the confidence to deal with what we were dealing with at that time, especially when she saw the clip with young Wonder Woman and could completely relate to that character. It really touched me to witness that in my niece and I think in many ways -- and I know for myself -- when I can be a character that I relate to on-screen, especially a protagonist who has integrity, being able to look up to that and use that as a guidepost, if only to get through struggles in the moment, is such a gift. And to be able to offer that to audience members out there, if I can, I think is a real deep privilege.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Justice Society: World War II stars Stana Katic as Wonder Woman, Matt Bomer as The Flash, Elysia Rotaru as Black Canary, Chris Diamantopoulos as Steve Trevor, Omid Abtahi as Hawkman, Matthew Mercer as Hourman, Armen Taylor as Jay Garrick, Liam McIntyre as Aquaman, Ashleigh LaThrop as Iris West, Geoffrey Arend as Charles Halstead/Advisor, Keith Ferguson as Dr. Fate and Darin De Paul as Roosevelt. The film will be released digitally on April 27 and on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on May 11.