These days, most people recognize Gal Gadot as the latest actress to portray Wonder-Woman in the DC Comics Extended Universe (DC). Before that, however, she was largely unknown in Hollywood, except for her stint in the Fast & Furious movies as Gisele.Oddly enough, it was when Gadot left the high-octane franchise that her life started going at 100 miles per hour. Thanks largely to her superhero role, this Israeli actress is now one of the biggest names in Hollywood.To be clear though, Gadot’s rise to stardom essentially began years before she got cast in these huge blockbuster films. That’s because before becoming an actress, she was a beauty queen. And while fans may have been thrilled to see Gadot waving onstage, Gadot herself has an interesting take on that part of her past.
Gal Gadot Joined The Pageants By Chance
With her height and form, Gadot is a natural choice for a beauty queen. Growing up in the small city of Rosh Ha’ayin in Israel, however, it was the last thing on her mind. After all, she wasn’t exactly into fashion or makeup. Instead, Gadot enjoyed playing rough in her younger years.
“There was no TV-watching. It was always ‘Take a ball and go play,’” the actress recalled. “In general, I was a good girl, a good student, a pleaser, and I was a tomboy. Always with wounds and scratches on my knees.”
As she got older, Gadot purposely turned down any modeling offers that came her way. Back then, she just thought it was ridiculous.
“I was like, ‘Posing for money? Ugh, it’s not for me.’” Instead, Gadot went to work for Burger King and later on, served in the Israel Defense Force. Around the same time, however, Gadot’s mother and a friend thought they would do something crazy. They entered the actress in the Miss Israel pageant.
When she learned that she got in, Gadot thought she would just have fun with it. “I told myself, ‘I’m just gonna do this. They’re gonna fly us to Europe, and I’m gonna get to tell my grandchildren that Grandmom did the Miss Israel thing,’” she recalled. Much to Gadot’s surprise, however, she ended up winning Miss Israel.
Gadot went on to represent her country in the 2004 Miss Universe. This time, however, the actress did not win. In fact, she didn’t even make it to the pageant’s top 20.
Here’s How Gal Gadot Really Feels About Her Beauty Queen Past
When Gadot took home the Miss Israel crown, there was, arguably, no one more surprised than Gadot herself. “I was like, ‘Holy s***. Now what?’” she recalled. Around the same time, the actress also came to the realization that she still didn’t want to be a beauty queen.
Specifically, she didn’t like the life that came with being one. “I didn't want to win. I never thought I would,” Gadot explained. “I was so naive. I was only 18, and to become a celebrity and have paparazzi around, it was too much for me.” Ultimately though, the actress had to suck it up. She still had to compete in Miss Universe, after all.
This time, however, Gadot had a plan. She was going to do a little self-sabotage. “When they sent me to Miss Universe, I said, ‘Never again. I'm not even taking chances,’ the actress recalled.
“And they go, ‘You have to wear evening gowns for breakfast.’ It was so ridiculous; I didn't play by the book. I just did my thing, and I didn't try to impress them.”
Gadot revealed that she showed up late to some of the pageant’s engagements.
At the same time, the actress pretended that she couldn’t understand or speak much English. “I was like, ‘English, no. Me no speak. Very hard language,’” Gadot recalled. To her relief, her efforts paid off. “And then I didn't make the first cut.”
Meanwhile, after she got herself out of beauty pageants, Gadot wasn’t really thinking about being on the spotlight again. But then, it looked like the universe had other plans for her because a casting director considered her as the new Bond girl soon enough. Eventually, Gadot wouldn’t land the role but eventually, that same casting director would be responsible for bringing the actress into the world of Fast and Furious.
And while Gadot didn’t exactly become a household name after starring alongside Vin Diesel, the actress knew that when she booked Wonder Woman, she struck something big. “Things really changed when I got Wonder Woman, obviously.”
By then, however, Gadot also had a better handle on her fame already, thanks, in part, to her time as a beauty queen. “By the time I got Wonder Woman, I was really big in Israel. So I was used to fame and knew what to expect,” she explained. “Maybe the scope was larger in the U.S., but really, it's all the same swamps — just in different locations with different magnitudes.”
