Gal Gadot: From Beauty Queen to Hollywood Superstar – Her Journey to Becoming Wonder Woman

Back in 2004, Gal Gadot experienced becoming a beauty queen when she won the Miss Israel title. However, she revealed in the recent November issue of Vanity Fair that she did not enjoy the experience. Despite her win, she tried everything in her power to prevent herself from getting the Miss Universe crown that same year. Even with judges like Paula Abdul, Gal was determined not to win and even pretended not to speak English when asked a question. The 5ft10in Wonder Woman actress said, “I did everything to make sure it wasn’t gonna happen.”

Gal Gadot, known for her role as Wonder Woman, revealed in a recent interview with Vanity Fair that she wasn’t fond of participating in beauty pageants despite having been a former beauty queen herself. In a video released by the magazine, the 35-year-old actress shared her thoughts on the experience.

Back in 2004, she was crowned Miss Israel but surprisingly didn’t want to win the Miss Universe title that same year. However, during a Rolling Stone interview in 2017, she revealed that she never expected to become Miss Israel at all. She thought of it as an opportunity to travel to Europe and tell her future grandchildren about her experience. Her upcoming film, Wonder Woman 1984, is set to release on December 25, 2020, where she plays the role of a hero facing the danger of greed, which is relevant to the present era. For her first Wonder Woman movie, she earned $300K, and for the sequel, she received $10 million.

Lack of enthusiasm: The 5ft10in celebrity expressed, “Oh my goodness!” Paula Abdul was one of the judges and she asked me a question. I responded with a heavy accent, “Me no speak English, so sorry.” I went to great lengths to prevent this from occurring.

In a recent photo, the actress can be spotted on the far right next to Miss Canada while doing a dance. She shared her thoughts on the constant race for more in society and how it can lead to losing oneself in the process. Gal also admitted that she gets emotional when watching the opening scene of 1984 where young actress Lilly Aspell competes in a physical contest as the child version of Wonder Woman. She believes that visualization is key to achieving one’s dreams and highlights the disparity between male and female representation in movies, with boys historically being portrayed as the strong protagonists who save the day.

Gal revealed that she becomes emotional when she watches the opening scene of the movie 1984, where Lilly Aspell, a 12-year-old actress, portrays the younger version of Wonder Woman and takes part in a physical contest. She believes that seeing something visually is crucial to dreaming of becoming someone or something in the future. Gal also discussed how her role as Wonder Woman impacted her daughter, Alma, whom she showed the film to. Although Alma was excited, she found the scenes where her mother battled villains too scary and had to skip them. Gal also addressed criticism over her and other celebrities’ rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” while in self-isolation, which some deemed “out of touch.”

Gal Gadot talked about the impact of playing Wonder Woman, particularly on her own daughter during an interview. As a mother to two young girls, Alma, who is eight years old, and Maya, who is three, with her husband Jaron Varsano, she revealed that she showed her eldest daughter the film. However, while Alma was excited, she also struggled to separate her mother from the character battling against villains on screen, referring to Gadot as “Ima” (Hebrew for mother). Gadot admitted that she had intended to do something good and pure, but acknowledged that it did not come across that way when she appeared in a controversial video in March with fellow actresses Natalie Portman, Zoe Kravitz, Amy Adams, and others. Although the video was well-intentioned, it was widely criticized by Twitter users as being out of touch, especially given the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Gal Gadot, alongside her mentor Patty Jenkins, attended the World Premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman in 2017. Recently, she shared a video on social media where she expressed her philosophical thoughts amidst the ongoing self-quarantine period. Gal talked about how the virus has affected everyone globally, irrespective of their background or nationality. She also mentioned how she was inspired by an Italian man playing trumpet for his community during the lockdown, and found it to be a powerful representation of unity. The video then featured appearances by various celebrities like Kristen Wiig, Jamie Dornan, Labrinth, James Marsden, and Sarah Silverman.

Back in March, Gal Gadot and her famous buddies caught some flack for their version of John Lennon’s classic “Imagine” while they were in self-isolation. Many folks on the internet thought it was pretty tone-deaf for these rich celebrities to be singing about having “no possessions” from their fancy mansions.

Gal spoke to Vanity Fair in November 2020 about her controversial rendition of Imagine, saying that while she had good intentions, it didn’t turn out the way she had hoped. She shared that she initially started with a few friends and then enlisted Kristen Wiig, who brought even more people on board. Despite her efforts to spread positivity and love, the final product fell short of her goal. Gal expressed regret for the outcome and emphasized that her intentions were pure.

In recent news, Nancy Jo Sales of Vanity Fair tried to get a comment from Gal after she received criticism for her role as Cleopatra in an upcoming film directed by the same director as Wonder Woman. Gal, who is a mother of two, spoke about her straightforwardness and how it can sometimes lead to trouble. She shared that she has learned to say “I don’t disagree with you, but” to express disagreement without causing conflict. Gal believes in being true to oneself and speaking one’s truth, even if it means not being liked in the moment. The criticism surrounding Gal’s role as Cleopatra arose due to a misconception that the Egyptian queen was African or black, when in fact she was of Greek or Persian ethnicity.

Could Armie Hammer and Gadot have another successful film on their hands? They are set to star as Simon Doyle and Linnet Ridgeway, respectively, in Death on the Nile from 20th Century Studios. Fans can look forward to the movie’s release on December 18th.