Behind every superhero is a kickass sidekick, and Wonder Woman is no different — except hers, fittingly, is another strong, outspoken woman. Etta Candy may not be a Themysciran warrior, but she's a force of nature in her own right, and her real-life counterpart, Lucy Davis, is just as empowering. But while what Etta Candy from Wonder Woman looks like in real life is quite the transformation, the common ground the actor shares with her character transcends any physical difference.
In both the Wonder Woman movie and the comics that it's based on, Etta is a short, portly woman with fiery red curls. As her name may suggest, she has an affinity for sugar and often shamelessly indulges her sweet tooth, but she also proudly embraces her size and doesn't give a damn what anyone else thinks.
Davis, on the other hand, has long, blonde locks. (You might also recognize from the U.K.’s version of The Office, where she plays Pam’s equivalent.) For Wonder Woman, she wore extra padding to more aptly fit the role, but she was — like Etta — thrilled to flaunt her curves. And for Davis especially, it struck a personal note, as she’s been open about struggling with anorexia and bulimia in the past.
As Davis told Radio Times,
“I surprised myself at how far I’ve been able to come, by truly being OK with who I am. Etta mirrored me in my journey a little bit. Obviously, the point of Etta is she’s much bigger than Wonder Woman, so that meant I didn’t ever think ‘hold your stomach in.’ I felt a huge amount of freedom playing her. I just... was.”
So while Davis may look physically different than Etta, playing the character was a profound personal triumph, and that means more than anything skin-deep ever could. The connecting thread between the two doesn’t have anything to do with looks; it’s all about heart.
