Plenty of wonder, still a woman: Gal Gadot on being a superhero

Gal Gadot may play “Wonder Woman,” but she’s not a superhero.

She threw her back out shortly before an interview to talk about the film. Told that this wasn’t a very Wonder Woman-like thing to do, she laughed.

“Well, I’m still a human, you know.”

The 32-year-old actress does, however, seem to embody a lot of Wonder Woman-like qualities. She was born in Israel and served two years in the Israel Defense Forces; she was also Miss Israel in 2004. She talked about the role, the character and more.

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Question: The obvious question first: Why has it taken so long to have a really strong woman superhero?

Answer: I have absolutely no idea.

Q: OK, also obvious — why is it so important?

A: Well, you know, boys and men, they grew up and they always had strong male characters to look up to. I think it’s important for girls, and also for boys, to have a strong female character to look up to. And who if not Wonder Woman to be the one, you know? She’s so amazing, everything that she stands for — love and truth and compassion and equality. She’s a very, very inspiring character, and I’m very, very happy that I got to be the one to tell her story.

Q: A good thing about the character is that she’s not just a woman doing guy stuff. She’s heroic but still gets to be a woman. Was that important?

A: Of course. It was very important to me. At the end of the day she’s the most-powerful warrior. Strength and power are usually qualities that are being shown by men in films. It was very important for us to give her feminine qualities, as well, so she’s very, very warm and she’s full of compassion and she’s very loving.

Q: You don’t have to give up one to have the other.

A: Exactly.

Q: How much of the stunt work did you do?

A: A lot. I’ve been training for this movie about five, six months before we started to shoot the movie. I did a lot of body work, a lot of gym work, a lot of fight choreography, horseback riding and whatnot. It’s been very, very intensive, but it’s been great, because again, this is the most-powerful heroine, and you can’t fake power and strength. It’s important for me to come through and look strong, and I’m happy we were able to do it.

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Q: Do you keep up with that stuff? Incorporate that into your regular workout?

A: Oh yeah, for sure. Of course. I might not be doing the fight choreography, but I do a lot of different things that I did when I started to prep for the movie, certainly.

Q: This seems like one of those roles that you imagine doing when you’re a kid, when you want to become an actor.

A: (Laughs) For sure, for sure. It’s a fun part that has a lot to it. It’s like a playground.

Q: Is there every any difficulty on the acting front blending drama and all the action?

A: No. I think once you’re aware that it’s important for you to bring the heart of the character, then everything’s in place. The action’s going to be there anyway. This is a superhero movie. It goes without saying. But once you care about the character and once there’s an actual story to tell, once you have one to play and to act, then you’re in good shape. And as long as there’s a good arc and a good story to tell, then it’s going to be fine. Working with (director) Patty (Jenkins), again, I felt like I had the best partner to go through this experience with, because just like me, she cared so much about the character and her emotional state and her story.

Q: You’ve had some good roles before (some of the “Fast & Furious” movies, for instance), but this is far bigger. Is there any way to prepare for seeing yourself on a cereal box?

A: No, I don’t really think there’s anything you can do to make yourself ready for it. For me, I’m an actress. I’m very lucky that I get to do and work in my profession that I really love, which is art, and I focus on that. The rest is just, you know, side-effects. I try not to think about it too much, and just go with the flow.

Q: What’s it like when you get the call and they tell you you’re going to play Wonder Woman?

A: Really exciting. Really exciting, and really thrilling, especially if it’s something that you’re so passionate about. It feels really, really good.

Q: I think I would be immediately terrified.

A: The fear is there, as well. There’s always fear. But I think as long as we never stop searching, then we’re good. When we’re too confident, then we need to start getting worried.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.