Wonder Woman made star Gal Gadot want to continue pursuing action films.
The actor spoke to Entertainment Weekly prior to the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike about her career as a female action star and superhero in which she stated her passion for action films while lamenting the lack of female protagonists in them. Gadot, who has played the Amazonian superhero in five separate films, said Wonder Woman presented a unique chance to tell a female-centric story in a massively popular genre, and its success spurred her to seek out more action film roles in the future. "So many male-led films were made brilliantly, and I just always felt like there's room for more female-led films," Gadot said. "Bond, Mission: Impossible, Bourne Identity, Die Hard — these movies I devour, and I always wanted to play one."
After Wonder Woman skyrocketed her into mainstream stardom, Gadot went on to star in films like Red Notice and most recently, Netflix's upcoming thriller Heart of Stone, to which she credits her time in the DCEU for giving her the confidence to make it. Given Wonder Woman's success at the box office, Gadot reportedly realized that female-led action films have a larger market outside of solely women, which empowered her to seek out broader roles that led to Heart of Stone's development.
What Is Heart of Stone?
Heart of Stone is an upcoming action thriller that tells the story of intelligence operative Rachel Stone as she races against time to stop a hacker from stealing crucial government secrets. The film stars Gal Gadot as MI6 agent Rachel Stone alongside Alia Bhatt. Director Tom Harper has echoed Gadot's sentiments regarding female-centric action films as well, stating his hopes that his newest film will start a franchise to rival James Bond or Mission: Impossible, this time led by a female protagonist.
While the genre is nothing new for Gadot, the actor said Heart of Stone let her branch out from her usual typecast as both a superhero and an action star since it retains a more grounded tone. Despite this, the action is still intense, and she was reportedly caught off-guard by some of the stunt work involved in the film, citing it as the most intense set she's ever been a part of.
Heart of Stone premieres Aug. 11 on Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Weekly