“Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot shared her experiences as a Beauty Queen when she was a teenager competing in Miss Israel, until she was sent to the Miss Universe competition in 2004. Rolling Stone spoke to the actress in a recent interview.
Several years before being cast for the role of one of DC Comics’ favorite female superhero, Wonder Woman, she was crowned Miss Israel. Gadot told Rolling Stone that her mother had her apply for the local pageant when she was still a teenager.
“I said to myself, ‘I am just going to do this. They flew us to Europe, and I’m going to tell my grandchildren that their grandmother did the Miss Israel stuff,’” she said in the interview.
After winning the local pageant, she represented her country at the Miss Universe 2004, which was held in Ecuador.
Gadot was 19 years old when she competed in the international pageant. She did not earn a spot in the semi-finals, and the competition was eventually won by Australian delegate Jennifer Hawkins.
She revealed that she did not actually want to win the Miss Universe pageant, so she intentionally spoke in broken English and wore the wrong dresses. The Israeli actress told Rolling Stone, “It was not my thing. It had too much responsibility. I successfully lost.”
After Gadot’s pageant stint, she was reportedly assigned to the Israeli Defense Forces as a combat trainer. She said she reported daily as early as five in the morning, and participated in boot camps.
Gadot as ‘Wonder Woman’
Gal Gadot’s biggest break came when she was cast for the role of “Wonder Woman.” The movie earned a total of more than $801 million worldwide sales at the box-office. During its opening weekend, it earned around $100 million in gross sales, according to Box Office Mojo.
She shared in the interview how “Wonder Woman” took a feminist approach in telling the story of the female warrior.
She said, “You cannot fake strength. I did not want to be the cold-hearted fighter.”
This November, the actress is slated to portray her DC superhero role once more as “Justice League” hits the screen. The upcoming movie will feature other superheroes such as Superman, Batman, The Flash, and Aquaman. Gadot will join actors such as Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller in the much-awaited film.
‘Wonder Woman’ sequel
It has been reported that Warner Bros will work on a “Wonder Woman” sequel, which will allegedly have Gadot back in the role. Patty Jenkins is reportedly in final negotiations to direct the movie.
