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A
s a former soldier and
beauty queen, Gal
Gadot’s past already
reads like a superhero
backstory. It’s fitting then,
that the Israeli beauty has
been chosen to play Wonder
Woman in Zack Snyder’s
Batman v Superman: Dawn
of Justice
, due to swoop
into movie theatres on 24th
March.
Real life superhero or
not, it’s clear that Gadot,
who served two years in the Israeli
Defence Force in 2004 (the same year
she was crowned Miss Israel, weirdly),
is happy to use her military skills to play
characters much like herself, or “capable
and independent women with a strong
sense of themselves and a positive
outlook on life,” as she puts it.
Gadot got her big break as Gisele in
the literally unstoppable
Fast and Furious
franchise, appearing in four films over
the course of six years. Now, having
signed up to portray Wonder Woman in
director Zack Snyder’s latest picture, a
Justice League sequel and a standalone
film that's due to hit cinemas in 2017,
Gadot has the chance to tap into that
military expertise in order to play the
archetypal superheroine.
“She’s the ultimate symbol of a
strong, smart, and serious woman; she
represents the kind of woman who
is independent and highly capable,
someone who can handle herself in
very difficult conditions and doesn’t
need to rely on a man to rescue her,”
says Gadot, describing her cinematic
alter ego, adding that she sees it as a
“huge responsibility to play this kind of
iconic figure who is an inspiration for all
women. She’s a very dynamic woman
and has a great sense of who she is and
her mission in life.”
Gadot isn’t fazed by taking on such an
epochal female role, even though this is
the first time this particular superhero
has been on the screen since the
enduringly popular Lynda Carter brought
Never in my
wildest dreams did I
think that one day I
would get to play
Wonder Woman
coverage is given to male stars who are
expected to pile on the muscle in order
to realistically portray superheroes on
screen, hopefully her willingness to take
on the physical demands of portraying
Wonder Woman will not only put paid
to the questions raised over Snyder’s
decision to cast her, but also inspire a
new generation of female superheroes
both on and off the silver screen who
aren’t afraid to mix it with the boys.
her to life in the mid-seventies. She
believes she was born to play Wonder
Woman.
“It seems like destiny in a way. I’ve
always wanted to play stronger female
roles and I turned down many parts
where I would have had to play ‘the
girlfriend’ kinds of roles, or the damsel
in distress. I knew I didn’t want to do
that,” says the 30-year-old, “It wasn’t in
my nature and I didn’t want to represent
women in that way. I told my agent that
I wanted to play independent women
and not go after sexy or obvious kinds of
roles – but never in my wildest dreams
did I think that one day I would get to
play Wonder Woman!”
Despite being accused of being
“too skinny for the part”, Gadot’s
background in the IDF set her apart from
the majority of traditional Hollywood
actresses. In a world where so much
Fast & Furious 6
Triple 9
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice