Lynda Carter Never Played Wonder Woman: ‘I Was Always Just Diana’

When Lynda Carter released the pop single “Pink Slip Lollipop” over the summer, she saw it as a way to give men who ghost and gaslight a candy-coated boot.

“I just thought it was funny,” she said in a video call from her home outside Washington, D.C.

Carter may forever be known as Wonder Woman from her 1970s TV series, but she started out as a musician, singing in clubs in Arizona when she was only 14. After winning the 1972 Miss World USA pageant, she took off for Los Angeles to stir up a record deal or an acting break, eventually landing the role that made her a feminist icon — even as a lot of men didn’t get her.

“They don’t understand women — they never get it,” Carter said.

“We understand why we get Wonder Woman,” she said, adding, “And how determined and how worthy our minds, our bodies are.” Tapping her chest, she also said: “We understand the 2,878 things we have in here at all times.” In her case, that’s the Muppets, Patty Jenkins’s “Wonder Woman” and the planned Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Mom Jokes

Get to know me just a little bit, and what you’ll find out is that I think I have a very good sense of humor. My kids do not. I would be onstage and I’d say the same silly joke and people would crack up. My children would look at each other and go, “Ugh.”

Turtles

I like land turtles. I like sea turtles. I like all kinds of turtles. I just think that they are fascinating. I have a place in Florida where sea turtles nest and it’s pretty exciting to see them. And we’ve got turtles that live in a little pond here, but I don’t disturb them.

Guest-Starring on ‘The Muppet Show’ in 1980

My Muppet experience — so great. Jim Henson was alive and there. “Orange Colored Sky” was an old ’50s song and they picked it for me. And then I did “Rubberband Man” with the band. A fantastic show to be on.

Women’s Rights

I’m marching. I’m putting my money where my mouth is and steam where the engine is. I’m going all out because we need to feed the positive because they feed the negative. And in the war against women, it’s just begun on their side, and it looks bad and it looks nasty. And we’re not taking it.

Making Music

I have equipment at home where I can do vocals. But I really do love to be in a studio, working with the musicians, particularly in Nashville. They can read, but it’s “Nah, let’s go for this.” There’s just such a groove that is their own thing and very tight. They move in a synchronized way, like a ballet.

The Words of Horace Greeley

“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.” It was one of my husband’s favorite quotes.

Orchids

I am fascinated by the fragility and the strength and the life of these orchid plants and how they grow on the sides of trees. I was at my girlfriend’s house and there was an artist that took the pigment out of this orchid and you could see all of the veins. It was almost as if you were looking into the veins of a person.

Home Cooking

I’m not a cook, but I appreciate when someone invites you to their home and they actually cook. When you can taste that someone knows this recipe and their ingredients, I’m fascinated by that. I love the spice and the wonder of all things fresh.

‘Wonder Woman’ in 2017

Patty Jenkins called me right after she was named to be the director, and immediately we were connected. We talked about her own experience with the character as a young girl — how she embodied it, how she felt it — and I knew she was the right person. And as I talked about my experience, I said, “I never played Wonder Woman. I was always just Diana. You can’t play a superhero.”

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

We’ve got to tell our stories. We need this because the Women’s History Museum is not just about women. It is about families. I’m a founding member and we’ve been working on this for years, so we just need one little tiny piece of legislation to be signed off on. We’ve got the area. We just need the clearance. We need the support of legislation, so write your congress person.

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