Movie star Gal Gadot was featured on the front cover of Elle magazine's November issue dedicated to "Women in Hollywood." 

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The fashion monthly featured a lengthy article and interview on Gadot's breakthrough in the movie capital of America. Gadot recalled how she was about to give up on her acting dream and return to Israel when she was informed that she had been cast as Wonder Woman, a role that changed her life and put her on the Hollywood map. 

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 Elle piece also praised Gadot's willingness "to stand up for herself and others," especially with regard to injustices women face in the film industry. 

The actress spoke of her alleged clashes with Justice League director Joss Whedon on set. According to reports, Whedon threatened Gadot's career when she shared concerns about her character and dialogue.

When asked about her initial reaction to those comments, Gadot said, "Oh, I was shaking trees as soon as it happened. And I must say that the heads of Warner Brothers, they took care of it.... Going back to the sense of righteousness that I have...you're dizzy because you can't believe this was just said to you.

"And if he says it to me, then obviously he says it to many other people. I just did what I felt like I had to do. And it was to tell people that it's not okay."

In addition, Gadot shared preparations for her role as Cleopatra in a film directed by Lexi Alexander. She also spoke of the production company she and her husband, Yaron Varsano, formed in 2019, named Pilot Wave. 

Others featured in November's issue were Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Salma Hayek, Jodie Comer, Halle Berry, Rita Moreno, and Jennifer Hudson.

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"Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot is once again under attack – this time by her compatriots, for an Instagram post she put up on Friday, June 25, supporting the annual Gay Pride parade in Tel Aviv.

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Gadot posted a picture of the colorful event, which drew tens of thousands of participants, and captioned it, "My beloved Tel Aviv celebrated Pride 2021 in a colorful parade today! It's an amazing reminder to us all that love is the most powerful force in the world, it can overcome all obstacles and change the world!"

Many social media users were pleased and proud to see her post but others objected, some because of anti-LGBTQ prejudice and others on political grounds having to do with their understanding, or lack thereof, of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Gadot's outspoken support for Israel.

One user who did not mince words about Gadot's pro-Pride post was rapper Yoav Eliasi, known as the Shadow. On Saturday, he posted an outraged response in which he said, "The most famous Israeli woman in the world, Gal Gadot, who was silent while her country was under rocket fire, lynches, and pogroms, and put up a pathetic, neutral and petty post while her friends in Hollywood were beating up on Israel with lies and blood libels, suddenly responds to the Gay Pride Parade in a big way and puts up a Pride flag and talks about her 'beloved Tel Aviv.'"

Elias went on to muse, "How did they choose a coward to play Wonder Woman?" and wrote "Let's see you, Ms. Gadot, put up an Israeli flag and talk about liberal Israel, which accepts the other with senior government ministers from the [LGBTQ] community while its neighbors in the Middle East still whip, murder, and arrest members of the community. Come on, let's see you, Ms. Wonder Woman!"

Elias posted a collection of screenshots by other Israeli users who objected to what they saw as Gadot's lack of public support during last month's Operation Guardian of the Walls against Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

"This is a tiny part of the responses," the Shadow wrote, calling Gadot "hypocritical."

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"I'm feeling fine," Gal Gadot tells me with a glowing smile, and instinctively, folds her hands over her belly.

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"Motherhood is the best thing I've done, the project of my life. I'm very connected to the girls, and I take care that we have open communication and always talk about feelings. Sometimes I let up and leave them alone, because I've learned that over-involvement can create problems, too.

"Sometimes I can be a hysterical mom and sometimes a funny mom. We laugh a lot. I can be patient, but when I lose it, it's not good. I think that every mother can identify with that. The moment you have a baby, you get a huge bag of guilt, and that's something I deal with all the time. But I've realized that I can only try to be the best version of a mother, so I try to do my best and give them everything I can. Every morning, when I get out of bed, I say 'Modeh Ani.' You can't take anything for granted."

In a Zoom interview with TV host Jimmy Kimmel, Gadot told him how she and her husband, Yaron Varsano, told Alma, nine, and Maya, four, that they would soon be getting another sister.

"We bought cupcakes for everyone in the family, including the dog, and when one was left, I asked the girls if they knew whose it was. They threw out names of family members, and then I pointed to my belly. Alma shouted, 'Noooo!'' But she got used to the idea, and she's excited. I asked Maya if she knows what mommy has in her belly, and she said, 'Yes, a cupcake!'"

Gadot hinted at her pregnancy back at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, when she arrived wearing a broad white tunic gown. Speculation on gossip sites spread, and the next day she posted a picture to Instagram of herself, her daughters, and her husband, all with their hands on her belly.

She just celebrated her 36th birthday, and shared pictures from her party in Los Angeles with her 52 million followers.

"You know, not a lot of people know what life in Israel is like," she says. "I still get comments from people who think that people in Israel walk around with Uzis, ready for battle. What the world is exposed to is what they see on the news. I'm not an ambassador for Israel, that's not a title I can take on, but it's important to me that people know how amazing and beautiful our country is, how full of good people, how calming the beach is and how good the hummus is. I miss Israel. I'd like to raise my daughters there."

Q: Your career is taking you far away from your homeland.

"There is a time for everything. Now it's right for us to be here, and for now we're keeping our house in Neve Tzedek. We haven't sold anything, we haven't moved out a sofa or a single plate. Everything is waiting for us when we come to visit, even the photographers. Our girls are in private Jewish schools, the older one in elementary school and the little one in nursery school. They learn about Jewish holidays there, we speak Hebrew at home, and are very connected to Israel through friends and family. It's very clear for us."

The year of COVID shut down Gadot's plans in one fell swoop. Last March, she was supposed to be in Atlanta to shoot the action thriller "Red Notice" with Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, as well as meet up with her parents, Irit and Michael, to celebrate her father's 60th birthday. Instead, she stayed in her home in the Hollywood Hills.

Later on, she initiated a clip of Hollywood stars performing John Lennon's "Imagine" as a message of solidarity. But criticism was quick to arrive, with many claiming that the celebrities were detached from the reality of a raging pandemic, people losing their nearest and dearest, and medical staff buckling under the pressure.

In June 2020, Gadot arrived in Israel with her husband and her daughters, and spent two and a half months here. At the beginning of September, they all flew to Atlanta, where she filmed "Red Notice," which is expected to debut on Netflix this coming year.

Q: What was it like working during COVID?

"It was complicated. Because one on hand, it was fun working again, being with people and doing what you love. On the other, you're working with team members who need to be isolated and far from their families for many weeks. Everyone is in protective gear, those space suits, and the vibe is different.

"So there was a sense of tension, it wasn't a free and easy set, where people come and give high-fives and say 'Good morning.' It was a much more cautious set. But you get used to it. People are very adaptable animals and in the end we manage and find solutions. I'm waiting for all this to be behind us and we can get go back to doing everything, like we did before."

Speaking to Kimmel, Gadot was asked how Israel had managed to defeat COVID. She explained that Israel was home to 9 million people, compared to 350 million in the US, and told him that people had willingly been vaccinated and felt as if they were having "holy water" injected into their veins. Israelis were enjoying their lives again, she told him, adding that she was "proud and jealous."  

"Wonder Woman 1984" was supposed to have been released in June 2020, but was repeatedly postponed because theaters were closed.

"First of all, the movie wasn't the top priority," Gadot says. "Health is the most important thing. There was a lot of fear. No one knew what this virus was, how much it would cost us, and what was going to happen. There was mostly fear of the unknown."

After five postponements, Warner Brothers decided to release the movie on Christmas in any theaters that were open, as well as on HBO Max streaming. Hollywood saw the step as a strategic loss to leverage the new service, but the 17.2 million Americans who signed up for HBO Max in the last quarter of 2020 isn't even close to the 203 million subscribers Netflix has worldwide, or Disney Plus's 100 million.

Another blow came when audiences stayed away from opening weekend. Later came lukewarm reviews and a lack of enthusiasm on social media. Thus far, the movies has generated about $170 million in ticket sales, after an investment of $200 million and tens of millions more spent on publicity. Hollywood Reporter estimated that the decision to stream the film would cost Warner Brothers at least $100 million. The first "Wonder Woman" made $820 million.

Still, the studio has announced a third film in the franchise, which will also go on director Patty Jenkins' busy schedule.

"If someone had told me a year ago that this is what would happen, that the movie would come out on HBO Max in the US, I would have said, no way, we would never let that happen. But COVID is COVID, and we're living in a somewhat different reality. The movie felt in a really karmic way more relevant than ever, much more than we could have expected when we wrote and shot it. The thought that people here in American could watch it with their families during the holidays warmed my heart, especially when the numbers here were insane and I didn't know when they'd drop.

"Everywhere else in the world, it was released in movie theaters only. We need to be flexible. This entire time, we've been learning to be more and more flexible, and I only hope it will give people two and a half hours break from thinking about the difficult day-to-day reality, and give them two and a half hours of entertainment and enjoyment. If that happens – I've done my bit.

"I'm waiting for them to open the movie theaters in Israel, so everyone can see the movie. I'm calling on people in Israel – wait patiently and don't download it illegally, this film is made to be watched on the big screen. And if you don't mind, don't do spoilers. The film was shot in 2018, it was ready at the start of 2020, and came out only at the end of 2020. So even we actors had to be patient. I hope that in Israel people will manage to hold off and see it on the big screen."

Q: Did you feel more responsible for the second film?

"In general, when you work on a sequel, you always need it to be a bit better than the first one, because we need to raise the bar. Especially given the expectations: a lot of eyes were on us, and there was a lot of pressure. In the script and story development stages we spent a lot of time on questions about what the narrative would be and who the characters would be, but at the end of the day, you just need to tune out all the noise and focus on the story, the characters, and the film, and do your best. You can't do anything more.

"I came to shoot every day for eight months, and I really did my best. I gave it my all, and I felt that the new film touched me. I hope that the viewers will feel the same. This is the film I'm proudest of so far."

Q: How did the story come into being?

"Patty and I started to talk about the story while we were filming the first 'Wonder Woman.' That film was the hero's origin story – Diana Prince becomes Wonder Woman, and she's naïve, and doesn't understand the complexities of human beings. She's not ready. There was something very pure and refreshing about it. I started like that, and it was a lot of fun.

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"But we felt that there were a lot of new places in the character that we wanted to explore, so the second film started to come together. We talked about the other things we wanted to feel and experience with Diana. So her character in the new film is pretty different from what it was in the first one. This time, she's much more mature, much more sophisticated, and understands the complexities of human beings. She also shares the perspective and suffering of other humans.

"This time, the move has a lot of color, life, music, and fun, and filming it was an amazing experience. We aren't in the war atmosphere of the first film. When I put on the Wonder Woman costume again, as uncomfortable as it is, I felt like I was back home.

"My family, as well as Patty and Kristin Wiig's [who plays the villain, Cheetah] became one big family. Like a commune. We were all in London, which became our second home. We filmed both movies in the Warner studios in London.

"My older daughter is a good friend of Lily Aspell, the actress who plays Diana Prince as a child in both movies. Lily is three or four years older than she is, and she's such a sweet kid, talented and good. They love each other, they play together, and they both like to ride horses and do gymnastics."

Q: Does your older daughter see you as Wonder Woman?

"Not at all. For her, I'm mom, who asks her to do something a million times before she does it."

Q: Does she want to follow in your footsteps?

"She's very talented and self-confident. Right now she's into being a researcher when she's grownup, or a cowgirl. She really loves riding horses. Maya, my younger, asks me, 'Mom, are you going to work?' and when I say yes, she answers, 'Then I'm going to work too, I'm Wonder Woman, too.'"

Q: Do you feel the burden of representing women in film?

"Yes, but the stories that I'm personally attracted to are about strong women. That's what inspires me, these are the stories I want to hear. I'm a person who likes to hear women talk about how they did it, and how they handle careers and motherhood. I'm very in favor of activity, and very in favor of empowerment. I want to provide a platform for things I see as important, and if I have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on stories like these, I need to do it."

Last month, National Geographic's digital platform launched another empowerment project that Gadot spearheaded, called "Impact" – a series of short documentary films that tell stories of young women breaking barriers all over the world.

"In 2017, the moment 'Wonder Woman' came out and responses starting coming in, I started to realize the influence I had on young people," Gadot said at a panel to promote "Impact." She told the audience that she had realized she had a responsibility to be "true" about everything she put into the world on social media and in interviews.

"After 'Wonder Woman,' I realized I had a chance to get to people, and I wanted to use my stage to get to as many people as possible and shed light on women's amazing stories. They are all heroes, my Wonder Women. All I do is show up at the film set, go into the dressing room, put on a costume and hold a sword. It's pretend. They are really there, on the ground, sweating and doing everything they can to make the world a better place. We live in such a dark, challenging reality, especially this past year, that we wanted to create balance and bring something good into the world. Maybe it will ignite something and spur get people going to do something good in the world.

"There are endless stories to tell… What the women who appear in 'Impact' have in common is that they all come from tough circumstances – violence, poverty, trauma, discrimination, or natural disasters. Still, these circumstances prompted them to take action. I've very lucky that I was born and raised in a healthy environment, in a normal family. My biggest challenge has been to overcome fear, and I always see that as a challenge. But I'm thankful for the life I have, and for not having had to deal with the issues these women did."

Gadot's schedule is a busy one, including a number of projects that she and her husband are co-producing. There is the spy thriller "Heart of Stone," a kind of female James Bond, which could become a franchise; a biographical film about Irina Sandler, a Righteous Among the Nations who saved thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust; a science-fiction rom-com titled "Meet Me in Another Life," a miniseries for Apple TV about Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr; and following in Elizabeth Taylor's footsteps in another version of the Cleopatra story.

The Cleopatra role sparked a wave of controversy over the choice of a Jewish Israeli actress to play an Egyptian queen. Gadot replies, "If we stick to the facts, Cleopatra was Macedonian. We looked for a Macedonian actress who would be right, and there wasn't one. I'm passionate about the role. And Cleopatra was a historic icon I'm a fan of."

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Joss Whedon, director of "Justice League," might not be "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot's biggest fan.

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In an interview to entertainment publication The Hollywood Reporter, actor Ray Fisher, who plays Cyborg, said that Whedon and Gadot had clashed during "Justice League" reshoots.

The article quoted an unnamed witness to the events on set who said that Whedon told Gadot "he's the writer and she's going to shut up and say the lines and he can make her look incredibly stupid in this movie."

The argument on set reportedly erupted after Gadot felt that Whedon was asking her to play Wonder Woman as a more aggressive character than in the original movie, and the two continued to argue about specific lines for the character.

The conflict was resolved only after Gadot and Patty Jenkins, who directed "Wonder Woman" and its sequel, "Wonder Woman 1984," met with Warner Brothers officials.

When Gadot was asked about the dispute, she restricted her response to a statement in which she said, "I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner."

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If anyone had any doubt that "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot is Hollywood's most desired superhero, enter Jenifer Lopez, who knows exactly who to woo. 

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The singer recently presented Gadot with a deluxe package from her signature grooming and makeup collection, called JLo Beauty. Gadot showed off her present in an Instagram story, tagging and thanking Lopez and adding emoji kisses to the post. 

Video: Instagram

JLo Beauty is an anti-aging skincare product line that Lopez launched about a year ago, based on the Lopez family's skincare secrets. 

Lopez made the reveal on the brand's Instagram page, writing, "I want you to feel your most beautiful at your most natural. No makeup, no filters... just YOU and your skin."

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After "Wonder Woman 1984," starring Gal Gadot, became the most successful film release of the pandemic, Warner Studios announced Sunday that work is already under way on a third Wonder Woman film, to star Gadot and be directed by Patty Jenkins, like the first two in the series.

"Wonder Woman 1984" earned $16.7 million in the US and Canada during its opening weekend, a better box office debut than any other movie released during the coronavirus pandemic, studio estimates said Sunday.

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Typically a weak opening weekend during Christmas, the studio hailed the ticket sales with just over a third of North American theaters currently open, according to media analytics company Comscore.

Estimates before the pandemic affected the movie industry approximated earnings at close to $1 billion, but current assessments have the movie, which cost $200 million to make, earning $180 million.

"'Wonder Woman 1984' broke records and exceeded our expectations across all of our key viewing and subscriber metrics in its first 24 hours on the service, and the interest and momentum we're seeing indicates this will likely continue well beyond the weekend," said Andy Forssell, executive vice president and general manager for WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer operations.

"During these very difficult times, it was nice to give families the option of enjoying this uplifting film at home, where theater viewing wasn't an option," he added.

The movie played in 2,150 theaters, with nearly half of HBO Max's subscribers also streaming the movie on Christmas Day, according to company data.

The original film in the franchise, 2017's "Wonder Woman" broke records for the most lucrative movie directed by a woman (Jenkins).

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Actress Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins were excited when last month Warner Bros. announced its plan to release the "Wonder Woman 1984" film in theaters and on WarnerMedia's streaming service HBO Max at the same time. Along with that excitement, however, came their requests for a suitable paycheck.

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According to an article in The New York Times, Warner Bros. approached the talent agencies that represent Gadot and Jenkins to recruit the two to support its release plan.

Gadot and Jenkins' argued that if Warner Bros. wanted help in promoting their decision, then they needed to pay the two, as well as others involved in the production of the film, the same way they would have probably been paid had the movie not come out in the middle of a pandemic.

After lengthy negotiations, Warner Bros. agreed to pay Gadot and Jenkins $10 million each, a decision that sparked a fierce debate among other actors whose films also suffered a blow following the coronavirus crisis.

Agencies that represent such leading actors and actresses as Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Keanu Reeves, Angelina Jolie, and Hugh Jackman demanded to know why their clients did not receive the same treatment by HBO as Gadot. The outrage led to the Directors Guild of America to call for a boycott of Warner Bros. Some people have started to refer to the agency as Former Bros.

Warner Bros. CEO Jason Kilar announced last week that seventeen more films would be streamed on HBO in a format similar to "Wonder Woman 1984."

"For the longest time, Warner Bros. has been known as the best home for talent, and that has been a significant competitive advantage," Michael Nathanson, a founder of the MoffettNathanson media research firm, said in an interview to The New York Times. "With this move, they alienated the very talent they have worked so hard to attract. These aren't engineers you can just replace."

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Cleopatra, a skilled multi-lingual ruler who was involved with both Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, has become the stuff of legend and portrayed by stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Monica Bellucci, and Angelina Jolie.

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The Paramount version of the Cleopatra story will be another collaboration between Gadot and Patty Jenkins, who directed Wonder Woman and its sequel, whose release has been repeatedly delayed by the COVID pandemic.

In addition to playing the lead role, Gadot is co-producing the Cleopatra film with her husband.

After the project was announced, Gadot wrote on Instagram: "I love embarking on new journeys, I love the excitement of new projects, the thrill of bringing new stories to life. Cleopatra is a story I wanted to tell for a very long time. Can't be more excited and grateful about this A team!!!"

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According to the report, Gadot has earned $31.5 million this year. She was paid $20 million for her role in the Netflix film Red Notice, on which production recently resumed after having been cut off in the first wave of coronavirus.

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Gadot shot to stardom for her title role in the latest Wonder Woman franchise. The second film in the Wonder Woman series was scheduled to premiere this past summer, but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. There is no firm release date for the film.

Another film starring Gadot that was originally slated to come out at the end of the year is Death on the Nile, based on the novel by Agatha Christie and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also plays the detective Hercule Poirot.

Ahead of Gadot in the Forbes rankings were Modern Family star Sofía Vergara, whose earnings this year added up to $43 million, and Angela Jolie, who earned a reported $35 million.

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Two weeks ago, the trailer for Wonder Woman 1984 dropped. Naturally, Gadot is expected to do a fair amount of publicity before the highly anticipated sequel hits theaters in June. 

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But for now, Gadot took some much deserved time for herself.

First, she vacationed for a few days with her family skiing in France – and from the looks of the pictures – had a lovely time. Taking to Instagram, the megastar showed off her skiing prowess and ability to take video and ski at the same time. 

Looking relaxed, Gadot snapped a few pics of her and her family frolicking in the snow with a caption that read, "Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all of you who are celebrating. From my family to yours, we wish you a great 2020, with lots of joy and magical moments."

View this post on Instagram

Happy Chanukah and merry Christmas to all of you that are celebrating from my family to yours we wish you a great 2020 with lots of joy and magical moments. I've spend the past few days with my family, having some quality time after shooting Death on the Nile and before jumping into Red Notice. I'm feeling grateful and happy to have such special people that I love so much surrounding me. Here's to an amazing year to all of us G @clubmed @jaronvarsano @danagadot

A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot) on Dec 23, 2019 at 10:56am PST

But now, Gadot is back home in Israel. The superstar was spotted in the Keshet building of Neve Tzedek – a hip neighborhood in Tel Aviv with her husband. And the production company just announced it is producing a film adaptation of a popular book banned in Israeli schools. 

Borderlife, written by Dorit Rabinyan, tells the classic story of two star-crossed lovers but with an Israeli-spin: In this iteration of the classic tale, an Israeli woman and Palestinian man meet in New York City and fall in love. The two decide to keep their romance a secret from family and friends while they try to navigate their blossoming relationship. 

Although the book was banned by then-Education Minister Naftali Bennett, its controversy led to skyrocketing sales. 

It is unclear whether Gadot will star in the movie as well, however, later this year, she will act alongside Kenneth Branagh in Death in the Nile and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Red Notice. 

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