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Cape Town – Gal Gadot takes on the role of a lifetime as the superhero Wonder Woman.
Gal first teased audiences with Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Friday, 2 June the actress will star in the standalone film which takes Diana from her home island of Themyscira and into the throes of World War I, along with American soldier named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine).
See the trailer here:
Gal sat down for a quick Q&A about her new role.
What was your first memory of Wonder Woman?
When I was growing up, Wonder Woman was a household name, so I always knew of her, even though I wasn’t a big comic book fan at the time.
Audiences loved your scenes as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Did those positive reactions impact your work in Wonder Woman?
At the end of the day, I felt really lucky. I was really, really grateful and happy that the audience enjoyed my Wonder Woman in such a beautiful way. But then, going onto the next movie — to Wonder Woman — I was very focused on making the character the best she could be. Because when you try to please the audience, when you try to please everyone, you leave your own truth. And you can never please everyone. So, for me, it’s better to stick to my truth and work toward what I think is best for the character, the same way I did on Batman v Superman.
I know getting in physical shape to play Wonder Woman must have been a daunting challenge. But how you did you prepare mentally and emotionally to play the character?
I was really, really excited about doing a stand-alone Wonder Woman film. I was also really curious about how we’d tell her story because it would be the first time I’d be doing such a huge role.
So, from time to time I felt like a little girl looking up at Mount Everest and trying to figure out the best way to reach its pinnacle. I was nervous! But at the same time, I had this inner positive feeling that everything was going to be okay.
Luckily, I’m pretty good under stress, and we made it work. I was really lucky to work with people who were all in sync, creatively, and with whom I had great chemistry. All that made filming a wonderful experience.
What was the most challenging part of your physical training?
The most difficult aspect of the physical training was the accumulated volume of all of it. It wasn’t just going to the gym each day, I was training in the gym for two hours, then I’d do horseback riding for a few hours, and then return to the gym for another two hours of martial arts training. I would do that six days a week.
Honesty, it was exhausting! But after two and a half months, I really started to enjoy it. But kick-starting that level of training, it was tough.
There are many big action scenes in Wonder Woman, but the action is always accompanied by emotion and character reveals. How do those action scenes help shape the character of Wonder Woman?
We always wanted to find the right emotional tone for each action scene. Our director, Patty Jenkins, and I really enjoyed doing that, because every action comes from within, and every action actually has emotion, whether it’s excitement, stress or nervousness. It was very important to fine-tune the underlying emotional tone of each action scene.
You mentioned your director, Patty Jenkins. You collaborated with Patty on Wonder Woman, after working with direcrtor Zack Snyder on Batman v Superman — and before rejoining Zack on Justice League. What was it like working with Patty and Zack?
Well, let me start by saying that I love them both. They’re both incredibly talented and great storytellers. Of course, each has a different filmmaking style.
Because I worked with Patty on a stand-alone Wonder Woman movie, it was a lengthier collaboration; we worked together every day for over nine months. With Zack, Wonder Woman was one of several principal characters in BvS and Justice League.
I think that Zack has a beautiful cinematic style, unlike any I’d experienced. With Patty, it’s all about the heart of story or character, and how to make the emotional space as specific as possible.
What does Chris Pine, who portrays Steve Trevor, bring to the dynamic between you character, Diana, and Steve.
Chris brings the best thing: Humour. We had great chemistry and made each other laugh the entire production. He is just a fun guy to work with and to be around. His sense of humour is a big part of Diana and Steve’s relationship.
You filmed the scenes set in Themyscira on the Amalfi Coast, which is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. What was it like filming there?
It was amazing. I love everything about London, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. But the weather was very cold. So, after shooting much of the movie during the winter in London, going to Italy during the summer was the best thing ever.
I was back where I like to be, which is by the ocean. The sun was shining, so I was the happiest girl in town. Other than that, at the Amalfi Coast we shot some of the biggest, bad-ass action scenes that I’ve ever seen. There were almost 100 beautiful, strong, bad-ass women riding on horses, for the fighting scenes. It was a lot of fun. It was like going to camp and I loved everything about it.
As you mentioned, you also filmed in the UK, where it was sometimes freezing cold. What was it like shooting scenes in your Wonder Woman costume there?
I was cold the entire time, but fortunately I was surrounded with people whose job it was to make sure to keep me warm as much as possible. When we were shooting in the trenches, outside, in the winter, people brought heaters to keep me warm.
But many times I forgot how cold I was because I was so focused on my performance and the scene.
What was it like for you to wear the early-20th century costumes when Diana arrives in London?
I loved wearing those costumes. I really enjoy watching period movies and the different sets and costumes. I really enjoyed the fact that Wonder Woman is a period film; I just love everything about its design.
What do you hope audiences take away when they see Wonder Woman in the cinemas, beginning in June?
I hope that they enjoy the movie. And after watching the movie, myself, and being my biggest critic, I can honestly tell you the movie is fantastic.
All the blood, sweat and tears we put into Wonder Woman really paid off. This movie has everything: Amazing, big action sequences, a beautiful love story, and a great message about hope and love and courage that everyone can take back with them.
(Photos: Warner Bros)
