Gal Gadot says it took her 6 months of training everyday to get in shape for the role. Photo / Getty Images
Gal Gadot says it took her 6 months of training everyday to get in shape for the role. Photo / Getty Images
To be believable as Wonder Woman takes a lot of training. "It was intense and it was very tiring. It was full-blown every day, six or seven hours a day for six months," Gal Gadot tells news.com.au about preparing for her role in the upcoming blockbuster.
As an Israeli citizen, Gadot has served her two years in the army. "I know how to use a gun and I know about combat training," she nods. "The weapon training I liked the most."
Of course, pretend fighting is very different. "I was a dancer for 12 years and so learning the fight choreography reminded me a lot of dancing. I enjoyed that." She says.
"But I also thought I was going to love horse riding because it always looked as if it'd be so easy." She pauses. "It's not. It was super painful and I had tons of bruises."
But when it comes to what makes Gadot feel like Wonder Woman, a different kind of strength comes to mind.
"It's cheesy, but I feel like Wonder Woman when I give birth. When you deliver, you feel like you're a god. Like, 'Oh my God, I made this!'" she laughs. "The best thing is to become a mother and to give life."
Gadot, 32, has two daughters, Alma, 6, and Maya, 9 weeks old whom she is raising with her husband, real estate tycoon, Yaron Varsano, between their homes in Tel Aviv and Los Angeles.
Gal Gadot at the world premiere of Wonder Woman. Photo / Getty Images
As Wonder Woman, Gadot first appeared in last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (she shot the film when she was pregnant). Finally, the Amazonian princess has equal billing to her male counterparts Batman, Superman and Spiderman.
She says, "I love that she's powerful and that she owns it. I also like that she's not a ball buster, nor is she a cold woman just because she is so strong. She's the greatest warrior but she's also naive and curious. What makes her interesting is that she's not perfect."
Although Gadot was one of the regular cast members in the blockbuster franchise, Fast and the Furious, and more recently, Keeping up with the Joneses, the former Miss Israel is a relatively unknown actress outside of her home country.
"Coming from Israel and being very famous for many years now has made me used to what's going on here in LA now with the paparazzi," she says, glancing out the window of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills where paparazzi line the front of the hotel.
"It's just white noise. The only great thing about it is that now I don't have to fight and go through exhausting auditions anymore. That is mind blowing for me," she smiles, shaking her head. "But fame itself, I don't pay attention to it. I'm not much of a girlie girl so red carpets and high heels I don't like so much. I was very much a tomboy growing up."
How does her husband feel about being married to a super hero?
Gal Gadot with her husband and real estate tycoon Yaron Versano.
"He is so proud!" She laughs. "I married a very strong man and he is very confident. When I was doing my first talks shows and I was super nervous and I was stressing out, he was there with me saying, 'Gal, no one is testing you. Just be.' He's a good anchor for me and he knows how to keep me in my zen zone. We are the best team together and I am really lucky that I have this island of sanity that is my own, my family."
While the original Wonder Woman TV series was set in the 1940s during WWII, this film pushes us back to WW1. It stars Chris Pine, a fighter pilot who crash lands onto an Amazonian island. He meets Diana, the Amazon Princess, who has never ventured off the island. Against her mother's wishes, she leaves paradise to accompany him in fighting the bad guys, and finds her inner spirit as Wonder Woman.
Bruises aside, Gadot enjoys doing action movies. "It appeals to me," she shrugs. "I was very active growing up and I've always enjoyed using my body as a tool of expression."
A Wonder Woman sequel is already being discussed, though until opening weekend, it's in the hands of the gods as to whether audiences will be lining up to see it.
"Who knows whether there will be a second movie," says Gadot. "But if there is, I'd love to do Wonder Woman set in WWIII. We need her to stop the war!" she declares. "That would be a very relevant story."
