Here's a new edition of "Actresses at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the actresses' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Gal Gadot's turn.

Early Life

In 1993, at age eight, Gadot and her family moved to the Givat Tal neighborhood of Rosh HaAyin, where she grew up, in what she described as a "very Jewish, Israeli family environment". As a child, she struggled with a weak voice and attended speech therapy, where she learned proper breathing techniques. Encouraged by her mother to be active from a young age, Gadot took up swimming at four and later played tennis. She joined the local volleyball and basketball teams, soccer-team cheerleader, and trained in ballet, hip-hop, and jazz for twelve years; at one point, she considered a career as a choreographer.

2000s: Doing Time

In 2004, Gadot entered a beauty pageant. To her surprise, she won the 54th Miss Israel beauty pageant, which was held at the Haifa Congress Center. She was crowned Miss Israel and received a Citroën C3 supermini car. Following her win, Gadot represented Israel in the Miss Universe 2004 pageant in Ecuador but admitted she intentionally "rebelled" to avoid winning, arriving late to events and refusing to wear an evening gown. During an interview with Ynet, and before giving up her pageant title, Gadot highlighted the value of military service, viewing it as both a duty and a chance for personal growth.

In 2005, a week after passing on the crown, Gadot was conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces. After excelling in a three-month boot camp, she went on to serve as a combat trainer, teaching soldiers gymnastics and calisthenics. Reporting daily at 5 a.m., she led soldiers through a form of boot camp. She became so passionate about the techniques she learned that she eventually trained sergeants and high-ranking commanders. Gadot also trained in Krav Maga, and gained proficiency in handling weapons and preparing for combat. She completed her mandatory two-year service, of which only 20 days were in uniform. Reflecting on her military experience in a 2016 interview with Fashion, Gadot said, "It was demanding because you give up your freedom for two years, but there is something special in giving back to your community."

In 2007, while still serving, Gadot appeared in Maxim's "Women of the Israel Defense Forces" photo shoot, which was later featured on the cover of the New York Post. The shoot was part of a campaign by Israel's consulate in New York, Maxim, and the Ministry of Tourism to "promote Israel, attract young American men, and reshape its public image". The campaign faced criticism, particularly from Knesset members, over the portrayal of female soldiers in bikinis. Following the criticism, Gadot defended the images, stating that she did not consider them pornographic and dismissed the political criticism, saying she was "not involved in politics". After the photo was featured on the July 2007 cover of the New York Post, the shoot significantly boosted Gadot's public profile; as a result, she landed an international campaign for "Prada Ellis" perfume.

After her first year at university, a casting director from London contacted Gadot's agent after seeing her modeling card on the agency's wall, which led to an unsuccessful audition for the role of Camille Montes in Quantum of Solace. Although she lost the Bond role to Olga Kurylenko, Gadot found the experience "interesting" and told her agents to let her know if any other opportunities came up that might be a better fit for her, and two months later, made her acting debut in the Israeli drama Bubot.

Three months after her unsuccessful audition for Quantum of Solace, the same casting director recommended Gadot to Universal Studios and contacted her about a role in Fast & Furious franchise. She was asked to "urgently" send a filmed audition to Los Angeles, which was well received. As a result, the studio flew Gadot and her agent, the CEO of the Look Agency, to LA for a personal meeting with Vin Diesel, who would decide if she got the role. Gadot was ultimately chosen over six other actresses for the supporting role of Gisele Yashar in the fourth film of the franchise.

Reflecting on the audition process, Gadot shared that she worked closely with Israeli coach Orit Shar, preparing thoroughly and building a backstory that impressed director Justin Lin. Filming took about a month. After filming wrapped in 2008, Gadot signed with Endeavor, becoming the only Israeli represented by the agency.

Fast & Furious was released in 2009 and was a huge box office success despite negative reviews. Gadot reflected on her success saying, "I can't believe this happened to me..I have more luck than intelligence." That same year, she made a brief appearance in the TV series Entourage in the episode titled "Amongst Friends", portraying Lisa, a date of the main character, Vincent Chase. She left due to unwanted and "inappropriate behavior."

2010s: KAL-EL NO

For now, Gadot was only getting small parts, such as films like Date Night and Knight and Day. Successful at the box office, but nothing particularly exciting to show she had lead star status. Gadot shared that she had almost quit acting due to frustration with the constant rejection (including failing to get the role of Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road) she faced while auditioning in Los Angeles.

She reprised her role of Gisele in Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6. Compared to the prior films, they actually earned positive reviews. Both also saw big increases in box office receipts, but unfortunately her run with the franchise ended with her character's death in the latter film.

In December 2013, it was confirmed that Gadot would play Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe, with the character making her debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It was met with mixed reactions, as critics argued Gadot's Israeli background and slim frame made her unfit to play the part. Gadot dismissed the backlash. Despite prior criticism of her physique, she stated that she had trained to build muscle for the role, moving beyond her previous Fast & Furious image. To prepare, she took lessons in swordsmanship, Kung Fu, kickboxing, capoeira and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, gaining 17 pounds of muscle. She also explained that she "trained six hours a day for six months — two hours of gym work, two hours of fight choreography, and up to two hours of horseback riding. It was much more intense than the army."

Batman v Superman opened very high, demolishing over $400 million worldwide. But the film's bad word of mouth quickly caught up with it. It seemed locked to hit $1 billion, but it finished its run with $874 million worldwide. A success, but it fell short of expectations. On top of that, the film earned negative reviews. Nevertheless, Gadot's performance as Wonder Woman was singled out for praise.

The following year, she starred in the solo Wonder Woman film. While the DCEU was only getting weak reviews, Wonder Woman became the first film to earn mostly positive reviews. It opened with $103 million and enjoyed great legs, closing with $412 million domestically and $823 million worldwide. Gadot earned high praise again, and it showed that the DCEU could actually be in her hands.

That same year, she played Wonder Woman in Justice League. A film plagued by so many problems on set, and Gadot was not silent about it. Gadot claimed that Joss Whedon, who came in to reshoot the film, threatened to harm her career for refusing to record lines that she didn't want to say in the film. She stated in an interview that she took the matter to the heads of Warner Bros., who "took care of it." Whedon, however, denied the allegations by Gadot, stating that it was miscommunication as she is not a native English speaker. Whatever the case, Justice League was not the success anyone expected. Despite a colossal $300 million budget, the film made $661 million worldwide, which meant it was a box office failure. But at least it gave us one of the most iconic line deliveries of the decade. We all know it.

In 2018, she moved to voice acting, with the role of Shank in Ralph Breaks the Internet. The film was well received and earned $529 million worldwide. She then concluded the year with a cameo in Between Two Ferns.

It's crazy to see how much she jumped in terms of popularity this decade. It seemed like she was primed to be one of the new bankable stars of the future.

2020s: Enough Champ to Feel Denial

Given her film was a huge success, it was inevitable that WB would fast-track a Wonder Woman sequel with Gadot returning. That film was Wonder Woman 1984, but it faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, the film was released on Christmas Day, simultaneously on theaters and HBO Max. As such, it didn't break even in theaters, pulling in $169 million worldwide against a $200 million budget. The film also failed to replicate the original's success in terms of reception. There were also questions regarding Gadot's performance, as many questioned if her acting skills really improved in the past three years.

How could we also miss this? During 2020, Gadot posted a video featuring herself and other celebrity friends singing a rendition of the song "Imagine" by John Lennon, which was intended to raise morale in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Well, Gadot must've been happy that it went viral, but not for the reasons she was expecting. Everyone lambasted it as embarrassing and out of touch. Gadot acknowledged the video ended up being in "poor taste" but maintained that it was made with "pure intentions."

The following year, she starred in the director's cut of Zack Snyder's Justice League. It earned a much more favorable response than the original cut, but it also confirmed something everyone theorized. We all thought her performance in the original was stilted and poorly delivered becasue of Whedon. But it turns out that's not the case. It's actually the same performance here.

She also starred opposite Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson in Red Notice, the first ever film written and conceived by AI (just kidding, but also not really). The film was originally set up at Universal with a theatrical release planned, but eventually Netflix won the film over. The trio of actors got paid $20 million each, and the film cost a staggering $200 million. The film broke streaming records for Netflix, eventually becoming the streamer's most watched film with over 230 million views. A record it would keep until 2025. But the film still earned negative reviews, and once again Gadot's acting came into question. The film was supposed to kick off a franchise, but we've had no updates in years. You're welcome.

In 2022, she had a main role in Death on the Nile. A film that faced so many delays due to COVID-19. It made $137 million worldwide, which wasn't really successful, and earned mixed reviews. In a film with so many recognizable stars, Gadot got the most attention, and not in a good way. Yes, you know it's here. The iconic "enough champagne to fill the Nile" line. A campy line delivered in a very monotone and robotic manner. People were laughing, but at the film, not with it. Most importantly, it highlighted how limited Gadot's acting range was.

In 2023, she had a bunch of uncredited cameos. She made an appearance at the end of Fast X, revealing her character actually survived. Because the power of Corona and family is far stronger than competent writing and logic. And returned as Wonder Woman for cameos in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash, neither of which were well received nor successful. She was insisting that she would continue playing Wonder Woman, despite a reshuffle in DC. But James Gunn eventually confirmed that was the last we ever saw of her as the iconic heroine.

Gadot and her husband Jaron Varsano formed their production company Pilot Wave and developed the action thriller Heart of Stone as their first original production. It cost $150 million and pulled in 110 million views on Netflix. It also earned negative reviews. Because of course it did.

She then played the Evil Queen in the live-action Snow White remake, which required her a dialect coach to help her performance. A film with a very difficult production, marred by controversial changes and so many other stuff. Gadot's past in the Israel-Palestine conflict resurfaced, drawing more negative attention. The film earned $205 million worldwide, nowhere close to recouping its $271 million investment, making it one of the biggest box office failures of all time. It also earned negative reviews, with Gadot earning some career-worst reviews. With good reason.

She then tried prestige drama, with a key role in Julian Schnabel's In the Hand of Dante. But it earned horrible reviews and faded into obscurity. Because the last thing anyone wants to see Gadot at, is an attempt at prestige drama.

This year, she starred in the thriller The Runner for Amazon Prime Video. As you can imagine, it was panned by critics.

Her next film will be Bitcoin, directed by Doug Liman, and starring opposite Casey Affleck, Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, and Finlay Robertson. We often make jokes on "made by AI" films, but this is the occasion where it applies. AI is extensively used in the film, primarily used for locations and to adjust performances. The sets would be entirely made of AI backgrounds instead of real world locations, and the actors would be working a markerless performative capture stage using new technologies. Producer Ryan Kavanaugh claimed the use of AI cut the cost of the film by an estimated $230 million, leaving the film at a $70 million budget. One of the rare occasions where a paragraph gets worse with each sentence.

HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS

She starred in 20 released films, but only 15 have reported box office numbers. Across those 20 films, she has made $5,685,659,669 worldwide. That's $284,282,983 per film.

ADJUSTED DOMESTIC GROSSES

The Verdict

Gadot truly made the transition from modeling to acting with style. Well, "acting" as in "she appears in movies" and... well, that's it. The Fast & Furious franchise helped her in establishing some Hollywood connections, but she still almost quits acting because she feels she doesn't have big roles. And so Wonder Woman comes in to put her in the map as a lead star. Quality of the films have varied, but for better or worse, Gadot's portrayal struck a chord with so many people.

In the 2020s, however, it seems like Gadot's persona massively fell from grace. Her hits were decreasing, and the more movies she released, the more it was abundantly clear that her acting range was extremely limited. She couldn't elevate a mediocre script, or would even bring down something entertaining. Not to mention more criticism of her IDF past.

She is definitely in the hall of "actors who are popular, but clearly can't act". But still, how does that explain Wonder Woman? Back then, everyone was praising it and her performance, and the "she can't act" crowd was very, very tiny. Maybe it was the hype about finally having a proper Wonder Woman movie, but Gadot still did good in it. Perhaps the "fish out of water" element was suited for her, helping cover her lack of range. That element was missing in the sequel, where it was clear that she was struggling with the material. In some ways, that AI-made Bitcoin movie might be right up her alley. And it'll answer the question of whether AI can act better.

She's 41 years old, so she still has so many years ahead for her career. But it looks like we might have to curb our enthusiasm everytime a project with her comes up. Expect nothing, you won't be disappointed. No guarantees with the latter though.

Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.

The next actor will be Richard Gere. A man with so many great runs.

I asked you to choose who else should be in the run, and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Zac Efron. It's time for some basketball.

This is the schedule for the following four:

Who should be next after Efron? That's up to you.

REMINDER: If you want to make a suggestion for the next actor, you must make a 150-character comment about the actor we're discussing right now. Failure to do so will result in ignoring the suggestion. If you use a quote from an external source/review to bypass this, your suggestion will be ignored as well. But if you leave a short comment about the post without naming a future write-up, that's fine.