Gal Gadot and Tom Hiddleston spent four hours auditioning for Mad Max: Fury Road – but neither of them got cast.
Actress Gal Gadot
The 41-year-old actress was left a little stunned that she did not land the role of Imperator Furiosa, which ultimately went to Charlize Theron, 51, following her and the 45-year-old actor’s “intense” screen test for 81-year-old George Miller’s 2015 action/sci-fi film.
On the latest episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gadot recalled: “It was crazy. I did my match [test] with Tom Hiddleston. We were in London with George Miller.
“I remember walking into this beautiful home in London, into this office, and we stayed there for four hours. I came there with all layers; it was a cold winter day in London. I came out in a tank top. It was so intense, the work that we’d done and how much we filmed. It was amazing.”
Gadot was disappointed she was not cast as Imperator Furiosa – even more so because she “felt good about the work that we did” in the audition.
The star added: “And Hiddleston is such an incredible actor. By the way, I’ve never seen him since! And I didn’t know him back then. He was a big theatre actor in England. He was so amazing, and it felt really good.”
But ultimately, Miller decided that Gadot and Hiddleston were not right for Mad Max: Fury Road, instead casting Theron as Imperator Furiosa and Tom Hardy, 48, as Max Rockatansky.
Gadot said: “He had a vision for what he wanted. And it’s amazing.”
Although she missed out on Mad Max: Fury Road, the entertainer went on to land the part of Wonder Woman in four films, including two stand-alone features, Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984.
Plans for a third Wonder Woman movie were shelved after director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, both 60, took over DC Studios and moved forward with other plans for the DC cinematic universe.
But Gadot would not want to make another Wonder Woman film because she could not spend so much time away from her and her 51-year-old husband, businessman Jaron Varsano’s four daughters, Alma, 14, Maya, nine, Daniella, five, and two-year-old Ori.
During the same episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gadot said: “For me to go to do another Wonder Woman, I am not sure I would at this point in my life with four children and different schools and all of that.
“To check out from all of them for such a long period of time, it doesn’t work for my life anymore at this point.”
She added of her exit from the franchise: “I saw the way everybody else was handled. The [Man of Steel star] Henry [Cavill] situation was not handled elegantly, to say the least. [Wonder Woman director] Patty [Jenkins] was not handled elegantly. We’re all adults, and we’re all good.
“I am so grateful I got the opportunity to wear these boots and have the character be so celebrated. I can only wish whoever is next comes pure to this journey.
“This character means so much to so many of us. It was never mine. I was always just a vessel. This is Hollywood.”