GLAMOUR: We know so little about you. What kind of kid were you?

GAL GADOT: I really liked to perform. My mother always tells this story: I was five. They had a party, and they'd put me to bed. I heard everyone on the rooftop, and I went upstairs. No one paid any attention to me, so I took a hose and sprayed everyone. [Laughs.] Very elegant, right? "It's meeeee! Look at me!" I loved the attention. But I never connected all the dots that maybe I should be an actress.

GLAMOUR: And yet here we are.

GG: If things had gone according to my plans, I'd be a lawyer. I never dreamt of being an actress. My mother was a teacher; my dad is an engineer. But at 18 I was approached to compete in Miss Israel. I thought, That would be a nice experience. I never thought I would win! I was shocked when they crowned me; when I went to Miss Universe, I rebelled. I was afraid I might get picked again. [Laughs.] I showed up late. I came without gowns. They tell you to come to breakfast in a gown. I was like, "No way am I having breakfast in a gown!" Who needs to wear an evening gown at 10:30 A.M.?

GLAMOUR: Did the other women hate you?

GG: No, they loved me because I wasn't a threat. [Laughs.] I made friends with women from all over the world! And because of Miss Israel, I started modeling and traveling. It opened my mind to different possibilities.

GLAMOUR: Like all Israelis, you served two years in the Israeli army, the IDF. What was that like for you?

GG: Let me start by saying, I wish no country had the need for an army. But in Israel serving is part of being an Israeli. You've got to give back to the state. You give two or three years, and it's not about you. You give your freedom away. You learn discipline and respect. [After the army] I started studying law at university. While I was there, a casting director for Quantum of Solace saw my modeling card on my agency's wall, and I auditioned to be a Bond Girl.

GLAMOUR: You got pretty close to getting the part that ended up being played by Olga Kurylenko.

GG: It was always Olga's. But I started going to an acting coach, then I got my first role, in an Israeli TV series. I had finished my first year in school, and I decided to stop working toward my degree when I got that project. Then that same Bond casting director cast me as Gisele in Fast & Furious—my first movie. Crazy! Whenever I met with producers, writers, or directors, I said I wanted to portray a strong, independent woman. Cut to Wonder Woman. [Laughs.]

GLAMOUR: What was your audition to play Wonder Woman like?

GG: I was in this weird career phase, going back and forth from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles for auditions. I kept getting pretty far—multiple callbacks, camera tests—then it would be a no. Over and over. I was like, "God, Yaron, maybe I should quit." Then my agent called and said Warner Brothers wanted to audition me for something.

GLAMOUR: When did you learn it was for Batman v Superman?

GG: Zack [Snyder, the director] called before I met with Ben Affleck. He said, "I don't know if you have this in Tel Aviv, but…have you ever heard of Wonder Woman?" My jaw dropped. I tried to sound nonchalant, like, "Oh yeah, Wonder Woman, sure." [Laughs.]