Wonder Woman: Gal Gadot talks challenges, motivations and the iconic costume

In an in-depth interview with The New York Times, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot discussed how she gets into Diana’s mindset … and iconic costume.

When it comes to movies, there are always some actors who make it seem like they were born for a role. There’s something in their face or the way they carry themselves that convinces the audience that it was destiny that brought an actor to a certain role. Recent examples include Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man in the MCU and Emma Watson as Belle in Beauty in the Beast.

And now, to add to that list, I think it’s become more than apparent that Gal Gadot was always meant to be Wonder Woman. Since her debut in Batman v Superman, she’s been at the forefront of every DC Comics fan’s heart. We’ve waited for what feels likes forever for her standalone film, and there’s so much I’m excited about.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Gadot shared what excites her about her own film as well. As you can imagine, it’s not easy to carry the weight of the DCEU and female superheroes on your shoulders. Even if you have great shoulders: “I tried to focus on what is important for me: the heart of the character, and how to deliver the best result in the most interesting way.”

Naturally, Gadot (along with the studio and the director, Patty Jenkins) has faced scrutiny left and right. Following the critical reaction to Batman v Superman, it felt like the world loved to hate DC and bashed the properties as often as an opportunity arose.

Now, Wonder Woman maintained her status as a hot commodity since her inception in the ’40s. And her popularity stood the test of time, more than any other female comic book character in existence. Even before her U.N. debacle and subsequent fall from grace, fans have long debated whether her costume (or lack thereof) was anti-feminist and just exactly what her sexuality is.

For Gadot, she not only embraces feminism, but also thinks labels are a little bogus:

"“In any case, there is such a misunderstanding of the concept. Feminism is about equality and choice and freedom. And the writers, Patty and myself all figured that the best way to show that is to show Diana as having no awareness of social roles. She has no gender boundaries. To her, everyone is equal.”"

To drive this point home — that everyone is equal — I believe the trailers have done a wonderful job balancing the tone back and forth between Gadot and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. Furthermore, they’ve done so in a way that doesn’t leave the audience questioning who the focus of the film belongs to.

Gadot added:

"“I’m sure the movie will inspire girls, but you can’t empower women without empowering men, too. I hope Wonder Woman will be an icon for them, too.”"

While the film centers on Wonder Woman, the character really belongs to everyone.

Superheroes mean different things to different people as we find pieces of them that matter to us the most and make them ours. Wonder Woman’s always been my favorite, but Gadot elevates my affection for the character more than she’ll ever realize.

Wonder Woman opens in theaters on June 2.

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