Wonder Woman type Movie

It was a moment that Gal Gadot says she’ll never forget — and after reading it, you might not either. Below, the Wonder Woman star recalls what it was like when she first read the reviews for her acclaimed blockbuster while home with her daughter last May.

Some background: Gadot had initially appeared as crime-fighting Diana Prince in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But 2017’s Wonder Woman was initially considered a risky question mark. Hollywood wondered: Could a female-driven superhero film really become a hit? Could Gadot carry a summer tentpole movie in her first leading role?

We always felt like what we’re doing was special, but we didn’t expect it to be so well received,” recalls Gadot. “I was worried at the beginning because it was my first experience shooting a movie that was all me. I felt like the little girl looking at Mount Kilimanjaro and thinking: How am I going to climb all the way up?”

Gadot — who was selected as one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year in our current issue — takes over the story from here…

It was a Thursday evening and I knew they were lifting the embargo for the reviews at 9 p.m. It was my first time going through such a thing. Usually, I’m not in the loop on when the studio is lifting the embargo. So I put my six-year-old daughter to bed and I said, “You need to fall asleep, I need to do some work tonight.” And of course that night she was very much awake. I said, “Okay. I’m going to bring my computer and sit next to you until you fall asleep.”

So I bring my computer and I start to read all the reviews. I got so excited I called [director Patty Jenkins]. And the moment I called Patty she answered the phone — it didn’t even ring. She immediately picks up. She’s all, “What’s going on? I’ve been meditating for 20 minutes, not reading anything, literally waiting for you to call me.”

I was just screaming: “Ahhhhh!”

She said, “It’s good? It’s good?”

I said, “It’s unbelievably amazing! I can’t believe this is happening to us right now!”

And my daughter, who’s 6 now, and was part of the production — when you work so many hours [your children] come to set and become part of the circus. My daughter got so excited.

My daughter asked me, “What’s happening, mama?”

I told her: “People are liking the movie. See, if you work hard enough and you have good intentions sometimes in life people appreciate it.”

And she jumped at me with teary eyes and said, “I’m proud of you mommy!”

That was a moment I’ll never forget as a parent and a mother. It was a very special thing.

To read more from EW’s Year End Issue, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands now, or buy it here. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

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