Gal Gadot had a two-year stint in the military, and her experiences in the army helped her develop the necessary skills for taking on various acting roles in the future.
Before gaining worldwide fame with the movie “Wonder Woman,” Gal Gadot appeared in numerous television shows and films. She also has a background in modeling and extensive knowledge of martial arts.
Gadot is known for being quite private, with her personal life rarely making headlines. However, the beautiful actress has many surprising and interesting facets to her personality.
Starting out in the modeling industry and beauty pageants in a “nonchalant” way,
In 2004, Gadot was only 18 years old when she was crowned Miss Israel. In 2017, during an interview with W magazine, Gadot stated that her decision to enter the beauty pageant at that time was very simple and she had no determination to win any prize.
“I was 18, just graduated from high school and had some time before enlisting. My mother suggested why not try submitting photos for the competition as it was quite serious.”
She followed her mother’s advice without expecting to win: “I participated and never thought I would win, then I won and started to feel scared. I couldn’t believe I was Miss Israel with responsibilities to fulfill.”
Joining Miss Universe with Fear
When the representative of Israel beauty joined the Miss Universe competition, Gadot made some “negative” actions to ensure that she would not have a chance to win.
She shared with Glamour magazine: “When I joined Miss Universe, I showed a lack of discipline because I was afraid that I might win again. I arrived late, appeared without wearing a gown as announced. They asked us to come for breakfast and dress in gowns, but I did not follow the rules”.
Before becoming an actress, Gadot actually studied law.
“If unexpected events hadn’t changed the course of my life, I might have become a lawyer. I never dreamed of being an actress,” Gadot revealed to Glamour magazine.
Gal Gadot once faced failure when auditioning for a role in the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” (2008). Despite not getting the part, this setback led to her landing a role in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise.
A director once considered Gal Gadot for the role of Camille in the movie “Quantum of Solace,” but the part eventually went to actress Olga Kurylenko. After that, Gadot decided to pursue acting and ended up landing the role of Gisele Yashar in the “The Fast and the Furious” series, which was also cast by the same director.
Gadot spent two years serving in the military
During an interview with Maxim magazine, Gadot revealed that while serving in the military in Israel, she was asked to lead workout classes for female soldiers on martial arts. Gadot also emphasized that her experiences in the military helped her land a breakthrough role in “The Fast and the Furious” film series.
In an interview with Forward magazine, Gadot shared that director Justin Lin was very impressed to learn about her two years of military service, so he had a great impression of her and decided to cast her after considering the benefits she could bring to the role and the film.
Gal Gadot once dabbled in acting in her home country.
Gal Gadot had a go at acting in a few films in her native Israel, however, she did not make a significant impact.
Before landing her breakthrough role in “Wonder Woman,” Gadot took on supporting roles such as the “eye candy” in movies. With her striking beauty, it was easy for her to be cast in these decorative roles. She has acted alongside famous actors like Mark Wahlberg, Tom Cruise, and Cameron Diaz.
Before her career took a major turn, Gal Gadot almost gave up acting.
Before appearing in the superhero movie “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016), Gadot revealed to People magazine that she had almost abandoned acting to return to law school with the intention of pursuing a legal career again. But then, at that moment, she received a call to audition for Wonder Woman.
“There were so many doors closed for me in the acting industry. There were so many rejections to the point where I thought maybe this career wasn’t meant for me, maybe I should go back to law school instead of making my family always witness me struggle like this,” Gadot recalled.
Gadot once gained nearly 8kg of muscle to portray Wonder Woman on screen. In an interview with Glamour, she emphasized feeling much healthier and seeing her physique improve during the filming of “Wonder Woman.” Gadot revealed that even military training activities did not compare to the physical training required for the role.
“I trained for 6 months before filming, working out 6 hours a day, including two hours in the gym, two hours practicing fight sequences, and two hours learning horseback riding… It was really intense,” Gadot shared.
Gadot used to love big motorcycles, but she gave up this hobby after becoming a mother. She married Dutch businessman Yaron Varsano in 2008 and now has two daughters. Gadot shared, “I enjoy doing my own stunts. I want to be active and healthy. I like dancing and riding big motorcycles, however, I have given up these pleasures since becoming a mother,” Gadot confided to Elle.