Before it even hit theaters nationwide, Wonder Woman was inspiring (or provoking) a lot of strong reactions, both positive and negative. Now that it’s out, the responses remain pretty intense, whether they’re marveling at the woman-led superhero film, or trying to make a federal case of the woman-only screenings. But at least one person doesn’t quite understand what all the fuss is about. In an interview with Variety, Alicia Silverstone proved she was unfazed by the so-called “Wonder Woman effect.” For her, woman-led films are old hat.
Silverstone was promoting her new TV Land series, American Woman, along with her costar, Mena Suvari. The sitcom centers on a single mom (Silverstone), who’s struggling to raise her kids, but gets by with a little help from her friend (Suvari). American Woman is the latest in TV Land’s woman-led comedies, following Hot In Cleveland, which is presumably what led Variety to ask Silverstone and Suvari how they felt about watching a female superhero movie kick ass at the box office.
The one-time Batgirl was quick to point out that there have been a lot of female-led movies, though nowhere near as many as male-led ones. “Before Wonder Woman, there have been many movies with female leads, so I get a little confused,” Silverstone said. “We have made strides, of course. I think about, what about all those wonderful comedians who are females who have had massive hits? There’s Bridesmaids.” Silverstone totally pointed out some of her own projects, including Clueless, which is among the “many movies that have been female-driven,” and is also just a great film, so let’s move on.
Silverstone wasn’t disparaging Patty Jenkins’ film, of course; she just seemed confused by the “woman” angle of it, because—as she points out in the interview—her show is set in the ’70s, when women couldn’t have bank accounts without a husband as a joint holder, so you know, there have been worse things. It’s all kind of confusing for the viewer, too, because Silverstone also acknowledges the wage gap and disproportionate amount of male representation in film. It’s almost as if she’s just playing dumb about why so many people would be excited about Wonder Woman proving to be so successful.