Israeli Actress Gal Gadot Recalls Being ‘Extremely Surprised’ at Winning Miss Israel Contest
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Israeli actress Gal Gadot reminisced about her childhood in Israel during an interview published in this month’s edition of Vanity Fair.
“I don’t remember this, but my mom told me that when I was three they threw a party on the rooftop of the house. They put me to bed, and I heard people coming into the house and no one came to me. I went to the rooftop and took a hose and I started to spray water on everyone, just to get attention,” said Gadot, when asked to share a moment from her childhood that would foreshadow the empowering women she has played on the big screen.
The actress, who was born in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rosh Haayin, will star in her biggest role yet as Wonder Woman in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film, due out in March 2016.
Gadot received offers to model throughout her teens, but she remained uninterested. She recalled focusing on dancing for 12 years — ballet, hip-hop, modern and jazz — and initially thought she wanted to be a choreographer.
The Dawn of Justice star was asked to enter the Miss Israel competition after graduating from high school. She agreed to compete, thinking it would be an experience to tell her grandchildren about one day. Gadot told Vanity Fair she was “extremely surprised” when she ultimately won the title.
Gadot served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years, which she said gave her “good training for Hollywood.” Her first audition, for a James Bond movie, came just a few months after concluding her IDF service and starting law school. Though she failed to get the part, she landed a role in the fourth Fast & Furious film instead.
“It was a very, very big thing for me,” she said of joining the Fast & Furious franchise. “It was the first movie I’ve ever done and my second project as an actress.”
Gadot has acted in three other Fast & Furious movies and stars in two upcoming thrillers: Criminal and Triple 9.