Prior to landing the role of a lifetime, Gal Gadot was best known for her work as Gisele Yashar in three of Justin Lin's Fast & Furious movies and made a small cameo in James Mangold's Knight & Day where she appeared alongside Tom Cruise.
Everything changed for the Israeli-born actress/model on December 4, 2013 when she was cast as Diana Prince a.k.a. Wonder Woman in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice and it wasn't long before news broke that she had signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros. to appear as the Amazonian princess in the two-part Justice League film and a solo feature.
...But what if that didn't happen? What if she hadn't been cast as Wonder Woman? What if she had been cast in an entirely different superhero movie? And what if that film had been for a rival studio?
A two-year old interview has resurfaced offering up a very interesting reply from Gadot, prior to being cast as Wonder Woman, describing a role she had been up for and/or auditioned for back in May of 2013. And based on her brief description, that said role sounds very much like a role we saw in a recent Marvel Studios movie. Read on:
Disclaimer: The interview was conducted by Reshet.tv back in May 2013 and was first discoverd by reddit user TervLane. It was then brought to my attention by CBM user LEVITIKUZ. Prior to posting, I did some further investigating and confirmed the original Hebrew translation, thanks to the help of reddit user Midnight_Lightning.
Read what Gadot says (translated from Hebrew), as she's describing her life as an actress, below:
"It's a very complicated life, because you live from role to role, and you never know when your next role will be. So when you work, me at least, I am the most grateful, and the most, you know, enjoying it, because it's not obvious. Especially taking part in such crazy productions, really, it's like... I don't know. And that's what... There are all sorts of options and all sorts of possibilities. I have the option now for a role where I will have to shave my head and they will color me in blue paint. I swear to you."
Hmm... a role where she would've had to shave her head and be painted blue... does that ring a bell? Unless, she was offered a role in the Blue Man Group, there's a fairly decent chance the role she is referring to here is that of Nebula in Marvel's critically acclaimed smash hit Guardians Of The Galaxy. The role ultimately went to Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) who delivered a fine performance and also quite famously shaved her head & was painted blue to accurately portray the villainess.
Gadot's interview with Reshet.tv was posted online on May 19, 2013, with the interview actually having occurred on May 7th. A few weeks later, on May 31, 2013, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) had been officially cast as Nebula. Now, we'll likely never know for certain whether or not Gadot was in the running for Nebula, but based on the timeline above, it's conceivable that she at least auditioned for the part before passing or losing out on the role for unknown reasons. Also, if Nebula was in fact the role, this wouldn't be the first time we've heard that Gadot was in the running for a superhero role as she previously shared that she had been offered the scene-stealing part of Faora in 2013's Man Of Steel, but had to pass after becoming pregnant with her daughter.
For clarity's sake, Gadot didn't get the GOTG role before auditioning and winning the Wonder Woman role in December 2013. This was undoubtedly the best case scenario (and an extremely fortunate one) for Gadot as no matter how fun it would've been to see her play around in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially with Nebula's expanded role in James Gunn's highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, Wonder Woman is a once-in-a-lifetime role that will likely define her career for generations to come.
On a related note, Jason Momoa was originally in the running for the role of Drax before losing out to Dave Bautista, so the DCEU's Wonder Woman & Aquaman could've played considerably different roles for Marvel Studios.
UPDATE: Director James Gunn has definitively confirmed that Gadot was never offered the role of Nebula. However, he does add that he is uncertain whether or not she auditoned:
The YouTube video is country locked to Israel, but if you want to hear Gadot's reply, in Hebrew, for yourself, you can listen to the SoundCloud recording attached below:
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City's own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis's most revered, modern-day savor, while the world wrestles with that sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it's ever known before.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice will feature:
Director: Zack Snyder
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman
Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Holly Hunter as Senator Finch
Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves
Harry Lennix as General Swanwick
Christina Wren as Major Carrie Farris
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Scoot McNairy in an unspecified role
Callan Mulvey in an unspecified role
Jena Malone in an unspecified role
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters March 25, 2016