LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE AMERICA 2017 ISSUE 2017 | Page 91
A BrIEF IntrO tO tHE nEW,
Early life
Gadot was born and raised in Rosh
HaAyin, Israel. In Hebrew, her first name means
"wave" and her surname means "riverbanks" or "shores".
Her parents had Hebraized their surname from "Greenstein" to "Gadot". Her father is an engineer and her mother
is a teacher. Her parents were born in Israel and her grandparents were immigrants[citation needed from Europe (she
has described her family background as "1/4 Polish Jewish,
1/4 Austrian Jewish, 1/4 German Jewish, and 1/4 Czech
Jewish"). Gadot has stated that she was brought up in a
"very Jewish, Israeli family environment", and has a
"strong sense of her Jewish and Israeli identity".
Military service
From the age of 18, Gadot served for two years as an enlisted soldier of the Israel Defense Forces, where she served
as a combat instructor. She says of her time in the army:
"You give two or three years, and it’s not about you. You
give your freedom away. You learn discipline and respect".
Career
Gadot had originally planned to become a lawyer. However, at the age of 18, she won the 2004 Miss Israel competition and then travelled to Ecuador to compete in the Miss
Universe pageant. Around that time Gadot joined the Israeli Army where she completed two years of military
service.
After leaving the army, Gadot started at university, studying law. After finishing her first year at university, a casting
director who saw her card called her to audition for the
part of Bond girl Camille Montes in the film Quantum of
Solace. She failed to win the part which went instead to
Olga Kurylenko (who would years later also compete with
Gadot in the audition for the part of Wonder Woman). As
a result of the audition for Quantum of Solace, the casting
director instead hired Gadot for the role of Gisele in Fast
& Furious.
In 2007, the 21 year old Gadot took a part in the Maxim
photo shoot "Women of the Israeli army," and as such she
featured on the cover of the New York Post. In April 2012,
Shalom Life ranked her Number 5 on its list of "the 50 most
talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish women
in the world", behind model Bar Refaeli and actress Eva
Green. In 2014, Gadot was one of two Israeli actress along
with Odeya Rush listed as an upcoming leading lady by
InStyle magazine.
Modeling
WOnDEr WOMAn
GAL GADOT
She has led international campaigns for Captain Morgan
rum, Gucci fragrances and Vine Vera skincare ranges, and
advertised Jaguar Cars. She is the face of Gucci's Bamboo
perfume brand. She has featured as the covergirl on Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Bride Magazine, FHM. Gadot has
been a model for Castro (whose fashion shows she also
hosts). In 2013, her annual modelling salary was estimated
at NIS 2.4 million, which was ahead of a number of other
famous Israeli models such as Esti Ginzburg, Liraz Dror
and Shlomit Malka (who campaigns for Ralph Lauren), although significantly behind Bar Refaeli.
Acting
Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot at the San Diego
Comic-Con panel for the film Batman v Superman: Dawn
of Justice. "I wanted to show that women are empowered
and strong, and don't have to be saved by some male hero,
but they can take care of themselves using their intelligence
and their power."
Gal on Fast & Furious
In 2008, Gadot starred in the Israeli drama Bubot. She appeared as Gisele in Fast & Furious, the fourth film in The
Fast & the Furious franchise, having won the role over six
other actresses. In 2010, she had a small role in the actionadventure Knight and Day. Earlier that year, she appeared
in the film Date Night as Natanya, the girlfriend of Mark
Wahlberg's character. 2011 brought her back to The Fast &
the Furious franchise, reprising her role as Gisele in Fast
Five. In 2013, Gadot played Gisele again in Fast & Furious
6, where her character sacrifices her life to save her lover.
Gadot played Wonder Woman in the movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and is signed for two future sequels which include the Justice League and a solo
Wonder Woman film.nGadot received swordsmanship,
Kung Fu kickboxing, capoeira and Brazilian jiu-jitsu training in preparation for the role. As a result, Gadot's performance as the superhero, which is the first time for the
character on film, was hailed as one of the best parts of the
otherwise poorly received film.
Also in 2016, she had a small role in John Hillcoat's crimethriller Triple 9, where she starred along with Kate Winslet
and Aaron Paul, and also co-starred in the film Criminal,
as Ryan Reynolds' character's wife.[ Gadot was also signed
on a main role in the comedy film Keeping Up with the
Joneses along with Isla Fisher and Jon Hamm.
A BrIEF IntrO tO tHE nEW,
WOnDEr WOMAn
GAL GADOT
LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE AMERICA