Gal Gadot has carved out an enviable career for herself in Hollywood with the hit films Fast & Furious, Wonder Woman and Red Notice.
But the 38-year-old actress still feels as if she is not a fit in Hollywood, even admitting that she suffers from Imposter Syndrome, the condition of feeling anxious despite being high-performing.
This week the Israeli star – who was seen in New York City over the weekend – talked her insecurities with L’Officiel magazine while posing for glamorous photos.
‘It’s funny, I always feel like I have this impostor syndrome, because I feel so lucky and I’m so happy that I get to do what I really, really, really love,’ noted the brunette beauty.
‘I always feel like, “I hope they’re gonna like it.” There’s never a moment when I’m like, “They’re gonna love this.”’
It was a massive Hollywood icon who helped calm her nerves.
‘I remember speaking to Francis Ford Coppola, and I asked him, “So how does it feel to be a national treasure?”’ she said to writer Hannah Jackson.
Coppola is best known for his The Godfather trilogy.
‘He said, “You know, something? I’m always filled with doubts. I’m always afraid they’re not going to like it. I just follow my heart and I come into it humble.” I think this was one of the biggest lessons.’
She added, ‘I’m sitting with the legend Francis Ford Coppola, and he’s talking about how humble and insecure he can get. I was like, “Okay, I can be insecure all the time.”’
Her next movie is Heart Of Stone which she stars in and is also producing with her husband Jaron Versano.
‘With Wonder Woman, we really managed to prove that as long as the story is universal, it’s good,’ she shared.
‘I felt like there was room for a female-protagonist action movie that would be for everybody, but more gritty and raw and grounded, rather than a polished superhero movie.
‘Usually, as an actor, you get the script, and you can discuss the script with your filmmaker, but that’s kind of it. In a way, it’s super easy; you don’t have to worry about anything. But there’s something so stimulating and exciting in creating something from scratch.
She loves that her character is flawed.
‘I’d already done and enjoyed doing the superhero of it all, and I wanted to show a real person.
‘I wanted to create a woman who has learned to do everything by herself. She can never be an open book; she can never trust anybody fully.
‘And that was also part of the reason why I love Tom Harper, our director, because I remember watching Wild Rose with Jessie Buckley. It’s a tiny story, but he managed to craft it in a way that was super character-driven. To me, it was more important to bring a director that cares about emotional performances and the story, rather than the way the action looks.
And she likes working with her spouse.
‘Jaron and I were always on the same page. He comes from the business side of it, and we had a really great opportunity when he sold his entire [real estate] portfolio in Tel Aviv.
‘Either he was going to continue real estate or come work with me, and I was like, “Let’s work together,” because he was the missing piece. Jaron has the business mind, and who else can take care of my interests better than my life partner.
She hopes audiences are thrilled.
‘We wanted it to be thrilling and exciting and have people at the edge of their seats, not just a story where you can tell what the end is going to be,’ said Gal.
‘So that’s a tough question for me to answer as far as inspiration, because we’ve tried not to take too much from others.
‘We did make a big scopey movie like the Mission Impossible and Bond films. We shot in five different locations. It was important for us that most everything that we could have done for real we’ve done for real, as far as the action goes. But we really tried to make an original piece, and I hope it feels that way.’
They filmed in Iceland, Morocco, Lisbon, London, and Italy in the Alps.
‘They’re all special. I must say I really, really enjoyed Lisbon because I had never been there. I enjoyed everything about it as far as the people, the food, and the culture. It was so easy to film there. There was good energy.’
Later comes Snow White, where she plays the villain.
‘It was a great shift. I can’t believe I got to play the Evil Queen, the first evil villain in the history of Disney.
‘I get to sing and explore my theatrical, evil dark side. The first four days, I was really in character, meaning like, it was hard for me to come out of the character, I was so in it.
‘It’s like doing theater. Everything is bigger. Everything is more dramatic. It was a lot of fun.’
She was photographed by Celeste Sloman and styled by Cristina Ehrlich.
