The Women of Wonder Woman

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 05: Actress Keri Russell attends ‘The Americans’ season 4 premiere on March 5, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Keri Russell

Actress Keri Russell got her first big break as the title character in the hit show Felicity. Even those who never watched the show remember what a big deal it was when Russell cut off her trademark cascade of curls. She’s gone on to do a multitude of movies and TV shows since then, currently starring in the FX series The Americans alongside Matthew Rhys, her husband both onscreen and off.

Recalling her own memories of watching Lynda Carter in the Wonder Woman TV series, Russell was proud to be lending her voice to the character in the 2009 DVD movie simply titled Wonder Woman. “She was the strong female among all these male heroes and for little girls she was an important symbol, so I do take it seriously,” Russell once said in an interview.

At the time, there was a strong push to get more full-length animated movies in front of fans. Wonder Woman was one of many straight-to-DVD features released around that time. In order to attract more viewers, studios were hiring recognizable names to do the voices for these movies. Russell’s co-stars included Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor and Rosario Dawson as Artemis.

Russell has also referred to the fact that she was relieved to take on a role that didn’t require hours in hair and makeup and that she wouldn’t have to dress in the superhero’s famous uniform. “It’s a bikini, and she’s jumping around and fighting? I’m glad it was a cartoon,” she said. Even though the role didn’t require any physical transformation, Russell still found it rewarding. “It was two days’ work and you are part of this great story and production. You get to be a superhero and what’s better than that?”