Zack Snyder was quite impressed by Gal Gadot during her audition for the role of Wonder Woman. The actress played Diana Prince in her debut appearance in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She later on reprised the role in Wonder Woman and Justice League.
Apart from her beauty and acting skills, Gadot used her intimidating presence to amaze both Snyder and her co-star, Ben Affleck. In the end, she got the coveted role.
Zack Snyder On Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Audition
During his interview via The Film Junkie, director Zack Snyder recalled the time Gal Gadot tried out for the part of Wonder Woman and did a screen test with Ben Affleck.
“When we did the casting of Gal… They were doing a scene that’s not in the movie, we had just written it for the audition, and she was just confronting him about his drinking, or, I don’t know, something intense, and so she says something to him at the end of the scene – it’s kind of a riff on the ‘you’ve never known a woman like me.’ ”
That one line alone caught the attention of Snyder and even shocked Affleck to the point that he just broke out of his character.
“And then in casting, he’s doing the scene like this [serious face], and then she says it, and he goes [looks at the camera and raises eyebrows] ‘whoa.’ And it was awesome because we were just like ‘I guess this is Wonder Woman. You kind of got checkmated there, so, I guess we’re done with the casting.’ ”
Speaking with Film Ink, Snyder shared that they met with a couple of actresses who were aspiring to be Diana Prince. The filmmaker added that not only did Gadot pass the screen test, but she also had the right attitude and personality for the role.
“We tested a bunch of actresses, as you can imagine. But the thing with Gal is that she’s strong, she’s beautiful, and she’s a kind person, which is interesting, but fierce at the same time. It’s that combination of being fierce but kind at the same time that we were looking for.”
Snyder revealed that they “interviewed and saw hundreds” of actresses, but only six managed to reach the final test.
Gal Gadot Expressed Gratitude Towards Zack Snyder
In 2018, Gadot received her Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs Film Festival. In her acceptance speech via Twitter, she thanked Snyder for giving her the opportunity to play Wonder Woman.
“Zack Snyder had this strong vision of who Wonder Woman should be and I am forever grateful that he gave me the opportunity to play this iconic character. Thank you, Zack, for believing in me. Working on Wonder Woman was a life-changing experience. This character represents so much that I believe in.”
Accepting her Rising Star Award, @galgadot said she was ready to quit acting 4 years ago but then she got call that she was cast in @WonderWomanFilm. She thanked Zack Snyder who cast her before he stepped aside and @PattyJenks stepped in. #PSIFF2018 #PSGala pic.twitter.com/7GyTjs2uok
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) January 3, 2018
There’s no denying that Gadot created a legacy when she played Wonder Woman. Even though many fans were initially against her casting, she ended up proving them wrong. Now, her name has become synonymous with Wonder Woman.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, and Justice League are available to watch on Netflix.
