Joss Whedon and Gal Gadot controversy explained: Hollywood director denies threatening ‘Justice League’ actress on set

American filmmaker Joss Whedon refuted actress Gal Gadot’s allegations that he threatened her career, claiming that there was no conflict between Gadot and him on the sets of ‘Justice League’, calling it a misunderstanding due to language barrier.

Whedon, who directed Gadot in the 2017 film ‘Justice League’ (pictured), addressed her 2021 claims in a new interview with New York Magazine. Gadot had, in a previous interview, said that “he threatened my career and said that if I do something, he will make sure my career is miserable,” reported People magazine.

“I don’t threaten people. Who does that?” Whedon said. The director claimed that the Israeli actress, who speaks fluent English, misunderstood him. “English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech,” Whedon told the magazine. The director acknowledged that they argued over cutting a scene and claimed he jokingly told her that she “would have to tie him to a railroad track and do it over his dead body,” the outlet explained. “Then I was told that I had said something about her dead body and tying her to the railroad track,” he alleged.

However, the ‘Red Notice’ star disagreed with his recollection. “I understood perfectly,” Gadot told the magazine in an email. She added: "I will never work with him, and would never suggest any of my peers to work with him in the future.”

The 57-year-old filmmaker reflected on his time taking over the directing duties for the 2017 film. Warner Bros brought Whedon in to take over for director Zack Snyder (pictured), who stepped down after his daughter died by suicide, and the ‘Avengers’ director worked in many rewrites and 40 days of reshoots, which caused tension on the set. In April 2021, The Hollywood Reporter outlined how Whedon allegedly “threatened to harm Gadot’s career and disparaged ‘Wonder Woman’ director Patty Jenkins” after the 36-year-old actor brought up creative concerns. Whedon reportedly told her to “shut up and say the lines,” threatening to “make her look incredibly stupid in this movie.”

‘The Wonder Woman’ actor wasn’t the only one who took issue with Whedon. The filmmaker denied actor Ray Fisher’s (pictured) claims that Whedon abused his power and lightened the 34-year-old actor’s skin tone. Whedon said none of Fisher’s allegations were “either true or merited discussing.” He described Fisher’s actions as “a malevolent force,” adding, “We’re talking about a bad actor in both senses.”

Whedon denied Fisher’s claims in the new interview, saying he trimmed Cyborg’s role in the film because his plot “logically made no sense” and he wasn’t a fan of Fisher’s acting in it. He also denied digital lightening specifically of Fisher’s skin tone, telling the magazine that he brightened everything in post-production.

Fisher, on Monday, tweeted, “Looks like Joss Whedon got to direct an endgame after all.” He added, “Rather than address all of the lies and buffoonery today — I will be celebrating the legacy of Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Tomorrow the work continues. #MLKDay A>E.”