Gal Gadot recently talked with Glamour, and discussed her upcoming performance as Wonder Woman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Auditioning for Wonder Woman: I was in this weird career phase, going back and forth from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles for auditions. I kept getting pretty far—multiple callbacks, camera tests—then it would be a no. Over and over. I was like, ‘God, Yaron, maybe I should quit.’ Then my agent called and said Warner Brothers wanted to audition me for something. Zack [Snyder, the director] called before I met with Ben Affleck. He said, ‘I don’t know if you have this in Tel Aviv, but…have you ever heard of Wonder Woman?’ My jaw dropped. I tried to sound nonchalant, like, ‘Oh yeah, Wonder Woman, sure.’ [Laughs.]”
On her character: “For BvS (Batman v Superman) it was important for me that we show how independent she is. She is not relying on a man, and she’s not there because of a love story. She’s not there to serve someone else… She has so many strengths and powers, but at the end of the day she’s a woman with a lot of emotional intelligence. She’s loving. And it’s all her heart—that’s her strength. I think women are amazing for being able to show what they feel. I admire women who do. I think it’s a mistake when women cover their emotions to look tough. I say let’s own who we are and use it as a strength.”
On training for the role: “A lot. Since I’ve started, I’ve gained about 17 pounds, and it’s all muscle. I feel so much better now. When you feel strong, it changes everything—your posture, the way you walk. I look at photos from five years ago and think, Whoa, I was too skinny. It’s not cool.”