Gal Gadot became one of the most popular stars in the DCEU for her portrayal of Wonder Woman, but she faced stiff competition for the role.
The actress joined the franchise alongside Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill and was lauded as one of the brightest lights for her portrayal of Diana Prince in 2016′s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Since then, Gal has yielded the Lasso of Truth and Diana’s iconic gauntlets against villains in multiple projects, including two solo movies. There have been ongoing questions about her future in the franchise, which will reset with the release of Superman.
While she’s synonymous with the character now, Gal had to audition for it alongside several other stars. In fact, we can say for a fact that she faced off against at least three actresses to land the part.
Of them, two opened up about their experience auditioning. One of them even explained why they knew that they “never” had a chance to land it.
After her costar Chris Pine recently weighed in on the future of Wonder Woman, we decided to round up the other actresses who were up for the role.
Elodie Yung
Of Gal’s three competitors, the least is known about Elodie Yung‘s audition. However, she was listed as a contender in a 2013 story by Variety.
Olga Kurylenko
Olga Kurylenko reflected on her audition in a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She said that she did it wearing “a bathing suit and some leather boots.”
She also went into it concerned about her history with Ben Affleck, who was starring as Batman. They had previously worked on To The Wonder.
“I like Ben as a guy, but I was worried because we had already worked together. Maybe he wouldn’t want to work with someone again,” she told the outlet. “Maybe he’d want to have someone he’s never worked with before. People don’t usually play couples over and over in different films… I thought, ‘I’ve already been in a movie with him. What are the chances of being with him in another movie?’”
She added that there were no hard feelings or regrets, saying, “The audition went like all of them. I had no idea, and anything could’ve happened. This time, it wasn’t a yes, but it’s fine because you can’t get everything in your life. It’s fine; I got Oblivion and Quantum of Solace. I can’t get everything, and it’s absolutely normal.”
Jaimie Alexander
Jaimie Alexander confirmed that she was in the running for the part during an interview with Variety in 2016. However, she said that she was not disappointed or surprised.
“I’m excited to see what she’s going to do with the role. I was one of a few people that were an obvious choice for Wonder Woman,” she said, adding, “But it was never going to happen I’m contracted with Marvel and it would (be) strange. Sif, in her way, is Marvel’s Wonder Woman. They’re both ethereal and have armor and a sword, and have special abilities; the physicality of the role is very similar.”
The Thor actress continued, making her feelings for the Marvel Cinematic Universe abundantly clear. “The thing I really enjoy about Marvel is that they start with a character first and all the explosions and costumes, the glitz and glam, are secondary to who the actual character is deep down,” she explained. “That’s something I haven’t really been able to find with DC Comics. I know that’s a bold statement, but it’s been my experience.”
“I’m a huge comic book fan, and I’ve read a lot from all different comic book outlets. I enjoy Marvel, and I’m not just saying that because I’m in the Thor films,” Jaimie added. “I gravitate towards the Marvel characters. Of course, growing up I really loved Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman; there will never be a better Wonder Woman.”
If you missed it, Gal recently revealed how playing Wonder Woman inspired her elsewhere professionally.
Find out which actresses were in the running to play Supergirl.
