Gal Gadot, a former model and Miss Israel who served two years in the Israeli military, said playing iconic superhero Wonder Woman required her to project both femininity and strength.
“It was important to me that my character would never come and preach about how men should treat women,” Gadot said.
“Or how women should perceive themselves. I want [Wonder Woman] to be strong and powerful and all those things, but I want a really hot boyfriend that thinks that’s great and has a sense of humor about the whole thing.”
Surprisingly, the 5-foot-10 brunette beauty was criticized on social media when she was first cast to play Wonder Woman.
Critics said the former model was too skinny and not athletic-looking enough to pull off the role, as TheImproper previously reported.
To firm up, Gal lifted weights and did pilates for flexibility.
“I gained a lot of body mass after I was first cast in the role,” she explains. “Now I lift a lot of weights. I feel much stronger then I was. I feel good.”
“I started out very, very skinny and because I gained body mass, I really enjoy the way my body looks, better then I did before,” said Gal. “I enjoy the curves,” she says.
“I enjoy the strength, the back, the guns,” she added.
Weightlifting can help women get the lean, toned bikini body they always wanted without looking bulky or masculine, said Michael Matthews, author of Thinner Leaner Stronger.
Lifting weights can slow down—and even reverse—the aging process by preserving lean muscle mass, enhancing brain function, and boosting antioxidant enzyme activity, says Cassandra Forsythe, author of Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. In addition to weight training, Gal does yoga and Pilates workouts.
Pilates strengthens your core and gives you long, lean muscles, said fitness expert Cassey Ho, author of Hot Body Year Round.
Gal Gadot isn’t getting any more complaints; fans seem to have embraced her.
“Wonder Woman is a feminist, of course,” Gadot told Entertainment Weekly.
“I think people have a misconception about what feminism is. People think hairy armpits and women who burn bras and hate men. That’s not it.”
“For me, feminism is all about equality and freedom and [women] choosing what we want to do. If it’s salaries, then we get paid equal to men. It’s not men vs. women or women vs. men.”
Gadot is a former Miss Israel best known for her role as Gisele in three “Fast & Furious” movies.
In the in the Israeli military, the 31-year-old actress was a fitness trainer.
Check out the video below. For more on Gal, check out W magazine.