Gal Gadot Was Almost Cast In an Iconic Charlize Theron Role

Actresses Gal Gadot and Charlize Theron have a lot in common. They’re both beauties (Theron, a former model; Gadot, a former beauty queen) who can hold their own with the tough boys on screen. They both owe a lot to director Patty Jenkins (who was behind both Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Theron’s Monster). They both, incidentally, were on the cover of W this year.

So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that sometimes Hollywood has considered them both for the same roles. In fact, as Gadot recently revealed, she was the second choice for a role that ended up going to Theron instead.

While appearing on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Gadot recounted how close she came to landing various roles before finally landing her breakthrough, star-making gig in Wonder Woman.

“I had so many almosts for big, great things, but I was never a big enough name,” Gadot said. “It was always me and the big name.”

“I was runner-up for Mad Max with Charlize,” she further revealed.

Theron, of course, played Imperator Furiosa, the rogue soldier on a mission, in Mad Max: Fury Road. Theron’s performance was singled out as one of the highlights in a movie that was already quite well-received critically. Though, Gadot doesn’t have any misgiving about the situation. It’s just how Hollywood works.

“Charlize, I love,” she added. “It’s funny, because we have Patty Jenkins in common. I have a few things [in common] with her.”

Indeed, Theron also claimed this year that Jenkins did approach her about taking a role in Wonder Woman, but she had to decline due to previous filming commitments.

Besides the Jenkins connection, they both have gotten awards buzz for roles in action films, a rarity. You’ll still find more than a few film fans who swear that Theron should have received nominations for her work as Furiosa (indeed, she was nominated and won a number of film critic circles’ awards), and Gadot is considered a dark horse in this year’s awards races.

They also have both had roles in The Fast and The Furious series. Gadot, pre-Wonder Woman, played the supporting role of Gisele in four of the film’s series. Theron played a villain in the most recent film.

It may not be the last time the pair end up vying for the same or similar roles, but here’s hoping the duo winds up on screen together eventually. Perhaps Theron could make time for a role in Wonder Woman 2?

Related: Why Charlize Theron is the James Bond We Need Now

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