In honor of the occasion, we revisit some significant milestones in the life of our undisputed representative in the global entertainment industry.
Hollywood is full of actresses, but few can be like Gal Gadot, who can identify a weapon from any distance, lift a car in one scene, close multi-million dollar real estate deals, and still be home in time for dinner with her four daughters and husband. The pretty and athletic girl from Rosh Ha'ayin who grew up to become one of the leading and strongest stars in the cruel Hollywood industry is now celebrating her 40th birthday and manages her empire like a modern superhero – with power, without apologies, without fear, and always with that playful smile and Israeli accent that has become a global brand.
The beauty queen's well-timed rebellion
In an industry that has long learned to label and categorize women, Gal is the ultimate rebel. Her career begins with a refreshing story about a beauty pageant she almost won by mistake. "I arrived at Miss Universe in anti-royal attire, without evening gowns, deliberately late for meals," Gal told Rolling Stone magazine with the smile of someone who knows something everyone else is still trying to figure out. "I lost big time, and that was my real victory," she said, a fact that seems almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy in a career built on a strategy of often finding success in the most unexpected places.
From Azrieli Tower to the Walk of Fame
Her rise from Israeli model and beauty queen to a mighty Hollywood force isn't just a story of good luck. She came to play Wonder Woman when the world craved a superheroine who didn't look like a walking male fantasy. In 2017, when the Azrieli Towers were lit up in her honor with a congratulatory text, it was the first sign that Israel was just a warm-up for global domination. Her films to date ("Wonder Woman," "Red Notice," "Death on the Nile," recently "Snow White," and more) have reportedly grossed more than $2 billion at the box office, and she has entered the list of highest-paid actresses with $20 million per film, not to mention ancillary revenue. In Hollywood's digital currency, that's not just money – it's a superpower. Especially if we take into account her latest achievement, receiving her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The art of perfect sweat
No matter what critics and well-meaning souls often say about her acting skills, studios choose her for coveted roles in multi-million dollar productions time and again, and it's not just because of her penetrating gaze or inviting smile. Gal is one of the few actresses who performs most of her dangerous scenes herself. "I trained like crazy for half a year before 'Wonder Woman,'" she said in interviews. "Fencing, capoeira, jiu-jitsu, horseback riding – every day, six hours. It was harder than the army," she stated, which says something coming from someone who served as a fitness instructor in the IDF.
Stumbles on the way to the top
But not everything was perfect in the meteoric rise. In 2008, she slipped during a Castro fashion show and created a viral moment that people still remember today. In 2010, she broke an elbow while filming a commercial also for Castro, and in 2014, a dance in another Castro commercial that many people perceived as provocative threw her into the center of a feminist storm. Her response each time was a symbol of her Israeli cool: "A commercial is meant to sell jeans, not ideology. It should be fun and light," she said. This approach, staying focused and matter-of-fact when everyone around is getting worked up and hoping she'll break down and join the festivities, has become her business trademark.
The bikini worth a thousand comments
Her legendary 2007 photoshoot for Maxim magazine in the "Women of the Israeli Army" project still echoes in pop culture. Her picture in a minimalist bikini changed the perception of "Israeli beauty" in the world and transformed the image of the female soldier from a threat to an object of global desire. When asked if she regretted the sexy photo and the storm it caused, she replied with her characteristic coolness, "I'm a model, not a doctor. It's the profession."
Gal Gadot posing for Maxim Magazine's "Women of the Israeli Defense Forces" spread in 2007. pic.twitter.com/4WfXtm5VTl
— IDF Babes
(@IDFBabes) November 20, 2024
The roles that almost changed everything
Film history loves the "almost." Gadot almost became a blue, bald Nebula in the Marvel universe (a role that went to Karen Gillan) and almost became a Bond girl (the role was ultimately given to Olga Kurylenko). But fate had something bigger in store for her when Justin Lin chose her for the role of Gisele in "Fast & Furious 4" because of her knowledge of weapons, skills that continue to play to her advantage (literally) to this day. The "masculine" skills she brought from the Middle East made her an asset in an industry still not accustomed to women who know how to hold and operate a gun convincingly without requiring a line of stuntmen.
The battle for image in the shadow of war
The transition from being the face of a brand or movie to being the face of a country at war is Gal's real battle often, especially in recent times. From Operation "Guardian of the Walls" to Operation "Iron Swords," she finds herself at the forefront of public diplomacy as someone who is perceived, willingly or not, as Israel's number one "ambassador." On one hand, huge contracts with Dior, Revlon, and Gucci, on the other hand, toxic hashtags and boycotts that threaten her career. In Israel, she's accused of political "softness," in Hollywood of excessive nationalism. In a world of extremes, she navigates the stormy waters of dual identity – a business maneuver that few can perform without drowning.
The mistake that cost 20 million views
Her 2020 "Imagine" video is a lesson in crisis management. What started as an innocent gesture of goodwill to spread some mutual responsibility and hope became a symbol of privileged, disconnected celebrities while the world was collapsing into doom. Seth Rogen called her a "fucking idiot" on his podcast, and the internet pounced on her mercilessly, but Gal did the almost impossible in the age of viral shaming – she absorbed, stayed silent, moved forward, and two years later even laughed at herself at the Critics' Choice Awards.
The business empire in the shadow of fame
While the media is busy with her outfits on the red carpet, Gal is quietly building a thriving business empire – a production company (Pilot Wave) she founded with her husband Yaron Varsano that develops content about groundbreaking women, a real estate deal that yielded $25 million when the couple sold a hotel in Neve Tzedek to Roman Abramovich, and a Goodles food startup that upgrades her beloved macaroni and cheese to a protein-rich version. "I don't want to be just a face on a poster," she said, "I want to be the power that decides which posters get printed in the first place."
