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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
Never in my
wildest dreams did I
think that one day I
would get to play
Wonder Woman
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
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.
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 her to life
in the mid-seventies. She
believes she was born to
play Wonder Woman.
“It seems like destiny
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
17
INTERVIEW
CINEMA
CINEMA
Triple 9
Fast & Furious 6
•
Batman v.
Superman:
Dawn of
Justice
is in cinemas on
Mar 24