So to say there is a lot riding on Gadots impressively muscular shoulders is an understatement.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What did it feel like the first time you put the Wonder Woman costume on?
GAL GADOT:I tried it the first time after they cast me forBatman v Supermanfor Wonder Woman.
Credit: Clay Enos
It was over the top for me.
It felt like this beautiful dream.
And it was very exciting and I was very, very happy and it felt right.
It felt like even with the surrealness of it, it felt normal.
Is that because you connected so much to this character?
I feel like Diana is really accessible.
Its very easy to relate to her.
And then she has the powers of a goddess.
Shes all for good, she fights for good, she believes in great.
I want to be her.
And inWonder Woman, she has this naivete in her.
It isnt stupid, its magical.
I would want to be naive like that again.
And that naivete stems from her upbringing?
Its how she was raised.
There is no such thing as only good and bad, black or white.
How important was it for you that a woman direct this movie?
I think its important.
Its a story about a girl becoming a woman.
How do you describe your collaboration with director Patty Jenkins?
All my life Ive been working with male directors which Ive really enjoyed.
And Im lucky in that Ive worked with men who have a lot of respect for women.
But working with a woman is a different experience.
It feels like the communication is different.
We talk about emotions.
With Patty, its a thing now, we communicate with our eyes.
She doesnt need to say a thing.
If Im hurt, she feels the pain.
Its a whole different connection that I have with her.
Shes also brilliant, shes bright, shes fierce, shes sharp.
She knows exactly what she wantsWonder Womanto be.
For a long time, people didnt know how to approach the story.
She can be sensitive.
She is smart and independent and emotional.
She can be confused.
She can lose her confidence.
She can have confidence.
She has a human heart.
This has been quite a physical undertaking for you as well.
What can you do now physically that you couldnt do before you started training for the part?
Ive been very active all my life.
I was a combat instructor in the Israeli Army.
[Laughs] See, everything [in my life] has led to me being Wonder Woman.
I gained a lot of body mass after I was first cast in the role.
I danced for 12 years and I played a lot team sports: basketball, volleyball.
But now I lift a lot of weights.
I feel much stronger then I was.
I feel it on my posture and the way I hold my body.
I enjoy the curves.
I enjoy the strength, the back, the guns.
Now Im aware of my muscles.
And I like it.
Does this undertaking feel like a big responsibility?
It is a big responsibility.
And we didnt want to just show a generic story of a superhero coming of age.
We wanted her to be full and whole.
They have Superman and Batman and Spiderman and the list goes on and on.
And they are strong and almighty and they are positive and active and proactive.
And I said what about the princess and she said, shes weak.
And I said, what do you think of that.
And shes 4, my daughter.
And she said, she shouldnt be weak.
She didnt do anything.
Its about time that somebody will do that and Im very privileged and honored to be the one.
