Gal Godot's psychical appearance alone would seem to make her the perfect choice to play "Wonder Woman". But a deeper look at the Israeli actress’ background could give someone the impression that she’s not all the far from being an actual superhero.
An Amazing Past
Born in 1985 in Israel to European immigrant parents, and the maternal granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Gal Godot (first name is pronounced like “doll” and her last name like “float”) showed an early aptitude for sports. Growing to be 5'10”, she became quite good at volleyball, basketball, and tennis.
As with all Israeli citizens, upon graduating high school she served a mandatory two-year commitment with the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). The IDF made good use of her athletic ability, making her an athletic trainer. She instructed soldiers in calisthenics and the unique IDF martial art of krav maga. During her military service, she managed to find the time to enter and win the 2004 Miss Israel pageant representing her home country in Ecuador in the Miss Universe pageant that year.
Upon completion of her service in 2005 she used her success in the Miss Israel pageant to become a model and actress while also pursuing a law degree. Acting success came slowly with a role on an Israeli drama and small parts in Hollywood films.
She was almost cast as the female lead in the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace eventually losing out to Olga Kurylenko.
Acting career gets a high-octane boost
That same year, however, her film career began to accelerate with her being cast as Gisele in the fifth film of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, a role she would repeat in the series' next two entries in 2013 and 2015.
This high profile opportunity would lead to her first appearance as Wonder Woman in 2016's "Batman vs. Superman". Despite the film's poor performance, Godot was praised by both critics and fans for her portrayal of the Amazon princess.
Strong role model
Godot’s biography is probably worthy of a movie itself, but what truly makes her a wonder woman goes beyond her amazing past.
She is an avid lover of motorcycles, has done all her own stunts in both appearances as Wonder Woman, including reshooting much of the end of the current "Wonder Woman" movie while 5 months pregnant with her second child with husband, Israeli real estate developer Yaron Varsano.
She has also managed the amazing feat of being a great feminist role model without wearing it on her sleeve. She has shown how strong a woman, or anybody for that matter, can be by simply letting her actions and attitude speak for themselves. She openly admits taking as much pride in being a wife and mother more than an actress or model. When asked her philosophy on parenting she said, “Once you become a mother you always have a guilt trip. You always try to do the best, but you feel you can always do better.” And she has done it with more class than many in the entertainment industry today.
