Female directors are not exactly a common sight in Hollywood. The few who have managed to stick their heart out and become film directors were never handed films with a budget of over $100 million. That all changed in 2015 when Patty Jenkins was appointed by the powers behind the DC Extended Universe to direct Wonder Woman.
Since the film’s global success, Patty Jenkins’ name has become a mainstay in thought and conversation of the average film fan, a privilege usually reserved for superstar male directors. Who is the woman behind the success of Wonder Woman? Scroll down below to learn more about Patty Jenkins.
Who is Patty Jenkins Of Wonder Woman?
As the daughter of an Air Force Captain with a Silver Star medal and an environmental scientist, greatness was an expectation for Patty Jenkins. She was born in Victorville, California on the 24th of July, 1971.
Today, Patty lives life as an adored film director but her life has witnessed its own share of tragedy and loss. She lost her father during a military training session when she was 7 years old. Interestingly, the universe is a mysterious place and sometimes what we perceive as tragedy might be the universe’s way of leading us to destiny. The loss of her father caused her mother, Emily Roth to relocate the rest of the family to San Francisco, to change their environment and for Emily to go to school and study to become an environmental scientist. Her mother would usually drop off Patty and her older sister Elaine, at the movies while she went off to school. This was when the future director fell in love with filmmaking and vowed to become a filmmaker.
Patty had always felt drawn to the arts all her life. Since her junior high school days, she has dabbled in photography, painting, and screen-printing. Although Patty Jenkins is known as a film director, she started her career in the arts as a painter at The Cooper Union in New York City. She attended The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1993.
At age 20, Patty got into film production as an intern for a commercial production company. She worked her way up from the Second Assistant Camera and Focus Puller. After ten years of being a cameraperson, she attended the American Film Institute’s AFI Conservatory where she earned her master’s. While she was an AFI student, Patty Jenkins directed several short films such as Velocity Rules.
A young Patty directed and released her first film, Monster in 2003. After the success of Monster, which she also wrote, Patty tried to make a couple of passion projects including a film with titled I am Superman, which has no relations to the iconic comic book character of the same name. However, the movie was delayed when she became pregnant.
After the birth of her child, Patty Jenkins limited herself to television work in order to spend more time with her child. Her television works include Arrested Development, Entourage, Five and The Killing.
Patty’s first major superhero film would have been MCU’s Thor: The Dark World but creative differences ultimately caused her to leave the project. She was later picked up by DCEU to direct Wonder Woman. Her direction and portrayal of Diana Prince’s journey was widely praised and it was followed by a huge commercial success, earning the title of the highest grossing film directed by a woman. She has been contracted to direct the sequel of the film due to the overwhelming success of the film compared to other DCEU projects.
Despite a smaller filmography compared to directors with a similar pedigree, Patty Jenkins has been nominated for over 20 awards, winning 10 of them. She’s been mostly awarded for her work on Wonder Woman, Monster and The Killing.
Here are Facts You Need To Know About Patty Jenkins
1. She’s Married
Patty Jenkins name may have just recently reached global recognition but she’s lived a full life thus far. She has been married to Sam Sheridan since 2007 and the couple has a son together.
2. She’s Well Traveled
Major film directors are usually well-traveled personalities. It is a perk that comes with the job which requires scouting for locations and meeting fresh talents, but Patty Jenkins earned the well-traveled tag before she even knew she wanted to be a filmmaker. As a result of her father’s profession, she had lived in 15 different countries before the age of 6.
3. Wonder Woman 1984 is a Big Payday
Gender Pay Gap is a major issue in the modern feminism fight but that is not a battle Patty Jenkins will be fighting for Wonder Woman‘s sequel. She will be paid $9 million for the sequel of the blockbuster, which is on par with what male directors receive for sequels.
4. Patty is a Big Fan of Pedro Almodóvar
Directors, regardless of how big they get usually have another director whose work inspires them. For Patty, that director is Pedro Almodóvar, the Spanish director of films like Broken Embraces and Law of Desire.
5. She Enjoys Working with Chris Pine
Having already appeared in her Wonder Woman film as one of the lead characters, Chris Pine and Patty Jenkins have developed a strong working relationship. Chris Pine is set to appear in another Patty Jenkins project, I am The Night, a TV series set for release in 2019. The actor is also confirmed for the Wonder Woman sequel also.
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