When Gal Gadot comes storming into cineplexes this summer as Diana Prince, a.k.a., Wonder Woman, she’ll likely take on iconic status for a generation of young women. (In fact, judging by the squeals of delight that echoed around Hall H during San Diego Comic Con last summer when Gadot a Wonder Woman pose, she might already be there.) But what female icon does Wonder Woman herself look up to? Who else but another high-booted, thigh-baring goddess: Beyoncé.
In a new interview with W, Gadot explains why her audition to play Wonder Woman was especially nerve-wracking.
“When I auditioned for Batman v Superman, I didn’t know it was for Wonder Woman,” Gadot says of the unorthodox, top-secret casting call. “Zack Snyder, asked me to do a camera test. That was torture. They were looking at six or seven girls, and we were all in separate trailers and were told to stay inside until they called us.” Gadot was reportedly up against a number of promising actresses, including Elodie Yung (now Daredevil’s Elektra), Olga Kurylenko (who beat Gadot out for a Quantum of Solace role), and Jaimie Alexander (Lady Siff in the Thor films).
No wonder Gadot was nervous. “Waiting is my enemy no. one, and I was losing my mind,” Gadot recalls. But the actress calmed herself down—and psyched herself up—by leaning on some inspirational music. “I decided to put on Beyoncé. Who runs the world? Girls! I just started to dance, and I let my anxiety go. Thank you, Beyoncé!”
Though Gadot doesn’t specify whether she has been in contact with Beyoncé since that audition to thank her personally for the inspiration, the two ladies probably should talk at some point—if only to trade tips on how to perform incredible, acrobatic feats of strength all while wearing high-heeled boots and, essentially, a bathing suit.
Speaking of that famous Wonder Woman bathing suit: Gadot says that when she first tried it on immediately after landing the part, the costume was so tight she “lost air.”
That iconic outfit likely had to be re-fitted again once Gadot hit the gym. She jokes to W that comic book lovers initially protested her casting because “my boobs were too small.” For some old-school fans of Wonder Woman, it was the size of Gadot’s biceps that were the bigger question. But Gadot hit the gym, hard—and by the time she showed up to save Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent in Batman v Superman, nobody was complaining about her physique.
