Jerusalem Post 50 Most Influential Jews: Number 20 - Gal Gadot
Wonder Woman is poised for a Hollywood mega-career.
By DAVID BRINNGal Gadot (photo credit: REUTERS)
Even without the supernatural powers of Wonder Woman at her beck and call, Gal Gadot has proven to be a force of nature.The 31-year-old model-turned-actress from Rosh Ha’ayin is poised for a Hollywood mega-career after catapulting toward A-list stardom this year in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice .Despite disappointing at the box office amid mostly negative reviews, one of the film’s bright spots is Gadot’s feisty and smart characterization of Diana Prince/ Wonder Woman. Next year could turn into the year of Gadot as she steps out into the spotlight for the lead role in the next film in the series, Wonder Woman.The buff former IDF combat trainer does wonders for Israel’s image abroad, and for its morale at home. But besides the one-dimensional “tough but beautiful” Israeli stereotype, Gadot has managed to widen the lens on what being Israeli means and evoke a down-to-earth quality combined with confidence and intelligence that exudes what she calls her “very Jewish and Israeli” background.Crowned Miss Israel in 2004, Gadot hasn’t been afraid to be publicly supportive of Israel or her faith, taking to social media to defend the country during the 2014 Gaza war and lighting Shabbat candles with her young daughter.Gadot, who first arrived in the international public eye through her roles in the Fast and Furious film series (playing an Israeli spy), is not only a Israeli role model though. She’s stood up for women globally, deflecting criticism that her svelte physique might not be voluptuous enough to portray Wonder Woman.“I represent the Wonder Women of the new world,” she told an interviewer last year.But, she’s one of the most influential Jews in the world because she also represents the new Israel: an Israel full of its special brand of wonder women and men..