Life behind the lasso

LOS ANGELES • A striking Gal Gadot is sure of one thing as she sits on a sofa promoting Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

S he’s t horoughly jet lagged having arrived from England where the Israeliborn actress is filming her headlining role in the Wonder Woman picture.

Despite the travel haze, the 30-year-old does her best to make sense of what she admits is sometimes difficult to fathom.

As the movie is poised to set box- office records, there is the Wonder Woman stand- alone feature set for a June of 2017 release along with a Justice League film ready to start shooting next month.

“I think it will take me some time to appreciate what’s really going on,” admits Gadot.

Here, she offers her thoughts on the role.

On waiting seven weeks after her audition to find out she got the job: “It was torture,” she says. On presenting Wonder Woman as more than a superhero:

“I have a four-year-old daughter and she adores princesses but at the same time she will tell me the princess is so weak,” Gadot says. “It so important for girls and boys to have a strong (female) superhero to look up to.”

On preparing for the portrayal:

“I have a lot of respect for this character,” says Gadot of Wonder Woman. “I studied her a lot, and I educated myself about her, and love everything she stands for — love, truth, justice and compassion. She’s a whole lot of woman.”

On coping with the preproduction months of kick boxing, sword fighting and martial arts drills:

“I grew up as a sporty kind of person,” she says. “I was also a dancer for 12 years.”

On surviving the initial criticism of her Wonder Woman casting:

“My responsibility is not to pay too much attention to all the noise around me, but you do pay attention to the script and to the director, and you protect the character.”

On having confidence while filming:

“Zack (Snyder) and I had a very clear vision of who Wonder Woman should be,” Gadot says. “And I am a glass half full kind of person.”