THE RAPPER.
THE MUSICAL GUEST WAS M ENTHEM.
>> IF I SAID THE NAME GAL GADOT
YOU MIGHT WONDER WHO WAS TALKING
ABOUT.
SHE WAS NOW WONDER WOMAN.
IT WAS THIS SUMMER'S WONDER
WOMAN MOVIE THAT LAUNCHED HER
INTO THE CELEBRITY STRATOSPHERE.
TODAY THE MOVIE HAS MADE $821
MILLION WORLDWIDE AND THAT
DOESN'T COUNT THE DVDs, DOLLS,
COMIC BOOKS THAT FOLLOWED.
A MOTHER OF TWO YOUNG GIRLS,
GADOT WON CRITICAL ACCLAIM.
SHE WAS NAMED GQ'S WOMAN OF THE
YEAR.
GAL AND I GOT TOGETHER AT
ATLANTIC GRILL HERE IN NEW YORK
FOR A SUNDAY SITDOWN AS HER NEW
MOVIE "JUSTICE LEAGUE" HITS
THEATERS.
THERE ARE FEW CHARACTERS MORE
ICONIC THAN WONDER WOMAN.
THIS YEAR SHE FINALLY WAS
BROUGHT TO LIFE ON THE BIG
SCREEN BY AN ACTOR WHOSE NAME
THE WORLD IS LEARNING TO
PRONOUNCE.
>> WONDER WOMAN IS GALL GADOT
AND YOU ALWAYS WILL BE.
THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM
YOU.
WHAT DOES THAT FEEL LIKE AS A
LEGACY ALREADY KNOWING THAT YOU
ARE FOREVER WONDER WOMAN TO SO
MANY PEOPLE?
>> I THINK IT'S WEIRD THAT
PEOPLE WILL WAKE UP IN THE
MORNING AND THEY'RE LIKE, I'M AN
ICON.
I AM -- THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
IT'S LIKE, I DO LAUNDRY AND I
COOK DINNER FOR MY GIRLS.
>> I'M GOING, MOTHER.
I CANNOT STAND BY WHILE INNOCENT
LIVES ARE LOST.
I DO FEEL THERE WAS THE ABILITY
OF BEING A GOOD ROLE MODEL.
I'M A MOTHER, TOO, AND I WANT MY
GIRLS TO HAVE GOOD ROLE MODELS
FOR THEMSELVES.
>> BEHIND HER SHIELD GAL GADOT
WAS PREGNANT WITH ONE OF THOSE
GIRLS AND THEN CARING FOR THE
NEWBORN AS WONDER WOMAN BECAME
AN INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON.
>> IT WASN'T LIKE I WAS POPPING
OUT THE CHAMPAIGN LIKE WAHOO.
I WAS HOME WITH MY BABY WITH THE
VERY PAINFUL BACK AND TRYING TO
JUGGLE BETWEEN TWO GIRLS AND
LIFE AND HOME AND THIS AND PRESS
AND THE MOVIE.
>> IN THE THEATER WATCHING MY
KIDS WATCH I WAS SORT OF
EMOTIONAL ABOUT THE IMPACT IT
WAS HAVING ON THEM.
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT IMPACT?
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS FILM THAT
HIT PEOPLE SO HARD RIGHT HERE?
>> I REMEMBER WATCHING DIFFERENT
MOVIES AND IMMEDIATELY WHEN YOU
SEE THE WOMAN WHEN SHE'S STRONG,
THEN THAT MEANS SHE'S TOUGH,
SHE'S DISTANT, SHE'S COLD.
SHE'S LIKE -- AND HOW DO YOU
TELL A STORY ABOUT A WOMAN THAT
IS SUPER STRONG AND MAKE
EVERYONE FEEL LIKE THEY CAN
RELATE TO HER STORY?
AND I THINK THAT THE FACT THAT
WE SHOWED IT IN THE MOVIE THAT
YOU CAN BE VULNERABLE AND YOU
CAN BE INNOCENT AND TRUTHFUL AND
LOVING, LIKE YOU CAN HAVE IT
ALL.
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN WOMEN
WEREN'T INTO BATTLE?
>> THEY DON'T.
>> A BABY.
>> WONDER WOMAN IS A REFRESHING
REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN AT A
TIME WHEN PERVASIVE SEXISM,
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT
ARE BEING EXPOSED IN HOLLYWOOD
AND BEYOND.
>> YOU'VE BEEN OUTSPOKEN ABOUT
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HOLLYWOOD.
DO SOME OF THOSE EXPERIENCES
SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?
>> I WAS NEVER PHYSICALLY
SEXUALLY HARASSED, BUT THE
ATTITUDE AND THE MENTALITY IS
VERY FAMILIAR TO ME.
EXPERIENCING SOMEONE WHO FEELS
SUPERIOR OVER ME ASKING ME TO DO
SOMETHING AGAINST MY WILL.
THE FACT THAT IT'S BEEN SPOKEN
ABOUT NOW IS ACTUALLY GOOD AND
IS A CORRECTION AND THIS IS LIKE
WHERE THE CHANGE HOPEFULLY
BEGINS.
>> AS A CHILD IN ISRAEL, GADOT
NEVER DREAMED OF BEING AN
ACTRESS AND HER JOURNEY TO
BECOMING WONDER WOMAN WAS
UNUSUAL TO SAY THE LEAST.
>> TO THE WAR.
>> TECHNICALLY THE WAR IS THAT
WAY BUT WE HAVE TO GO THIS WAY
FIRST.
>> YOUR PATH TO THAT ROLE IS SO
FASCINATING FROM CHILD GROWING
UP IN ISRAEL WHO LOVED TO PLAY
SPORTS, LOVED TO DANCE TO
SOMEONE WHO WAS IN PAGEANTS WITH
MISS ISRAEL AND JOINED THE MISS
UNIVERSE PAGEANT TO SOMEONE WHO
WAS IN THE IDF TO SOMEONE WHO
WENT TO LAW SCHOOL, BECAME A
MOVIE STAR.
IT'S A CRAZY WAY --
>> SO RANDOM.
I'M ALL OVER THE PLACE.
>> YOU FINALLY ARRIVED.
WE SETTLED IN ON THIS ONE.
IS IT TRUE THAT AT THE MISS
UNIVERSE PAGEANT YOU SORT OF
SABOTAGED YOURSELF A LITTLE BIT?
>> YES.
I WENT TO THE MISS ISRAEL
PAGEANT FOR THE EXPERIENCE NEVER
EVEN THINKING THAT I'M GOING TO
WIN AND THEN I WON AND FOR AN
18-YEAR-OLD GIRL I WAS LIKE, OH,
NO.
OH, NO.
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO NOW?
I DON'T -- THE RESPONSIBILITY.
YOU KNOW?
NOW I NEED TO MAKE SURE THERE
WILL BE PEACE AND IT'S SO
COMPLICATED.
I WAS LIKE, I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT
GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN FOR MISS
UNIVERSE SO I CAME DOWN LATE.
I WASN'T DRESSED PROPERLY.
I WORE JEANS EVERYWHERE.
>> GAL GADOT, 19, MISS ISRAEL.
>> GADOT WAS SO DETERMINED NOT
TO WIN SHE EVEN FAKED A LANGUAGE
BARRIER.
>> ME NOT SPEAK ENGLISH.
>> DID YOU REALLY DO THAT?
>> YEAH.
ME NOT SPEAK ENGLISH BECAUSE
THEY ASK YOU QUESTIONS.
SORRY.
>> YOU FLAT OUT LIED.
>> I KNOW.
>> HOW CAN A WOMAN POSSIBLY
FIGHT IN THIS?
IT'S ITCHY.
>> SO NATURALLY YOU GO FROM MISS
UNIVERSE TO JOINING THE ISRAELI
MILITARY BECAUSE THAT'S HOW LIFE
WORKS.
>> EXACTLY.
I WAS ON BOOT CAMP FOR THREE
MONTHS WHERE THEY KEEP YOU IN
AMAZING SHAPE AND THEY TEACH YOU
DIFFERENT STUFF.
AFTER A YEAR IN THE ARMY I WAS A
TRAINER IN A FACILITY IN A GYM
SO IT'S NOT LIKE RUNNING IN THE
FIELDS.
LIKE I DON'T EVEN WANT ANY
COUNTRY TO HAVE AN ARMY.
I WOULD LOVE FOR US ALL TO GET
ALONG AND HAVE GOOD LIFE.
>> DID YOU SAY THAT AT MISS
UNIVERSE.
YOU WOULD HAVE WON IF YOU SAID
THAT.
>> I DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH.
>> BUT THOSE PAGEANTS DID OPEN
DOORS, FIRST FOR MODELING, THEN
FOR ACTING.
GADOT LEAPED FROM ISRAELI SOAP
OPERAS TO A RECURRING ROLE IN
THE FAST AND FURIOUS MOVIE
FRANCHISE.
>> ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE BOYS WHO
PREFERS CARS TO WOMEN?
>> BUT THE HOLLYWOOD GRIND
NEARLY DROVE HER BACK HOME TO
ISRAEL.
>> IS IT TRUE, GAL, THAT BEFORE
THIS AUDITION CAME UP FOR WONDER
WOMAN YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT
GETTING OUT OF THE BUSINESS?
>> YES.
>> YOU REALLY WERE?
HOW CLOSE WERE YOU?
>> I WAS AS CLOSE AS IT GETS.
THERE'S SO MUCH REJECTION IN
THIS WORLD THAT I WAS LIKE, WOW,
MAYBE IT'S NOT FOR ME.
BUT THEN LIFE SHOWED UP AGAIN
AND THEY'RE LIKE, I DON'T THINK
SO, GAL.
>> HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE?
>> SO THAT BRINGS US NOW TO
"JUSTICE LEAGUE."
>> YES.
IT WAS GREAT FOR ME BECAUSE
AFTER SIX MONTHS OF SHOOTING
"WONDER WOMAN" I GOT THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE STAGE
WITH MORE TALENTED, WONDERFUL
PEOPLE AND IT WAS NOT ALL ON MY
SHOULDERS.
IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.
>> HAVE YOU THOUGHT YET ABOUT
"WONDER WOMAN 2" WHERE THE
CHARACTER HEADS NEXT?
>> SO MANY JOURNEYS SHE CAN
EXPERIENCE.
SHE HAS SO MANY BEAUTIFUL
VALUES.
EACH CHAPTER IS ABOUT DIFFERENT
VALUES OF WONDER WOMAN, I THINK,
THAT COULD BE IN THE WONDER
WOMAN BIBLE.
>> BIBLE, I LIKE THAT.
AND I CAN CONFIRM SHE DOES SPEAK
ENGLISH.
THIS WEEK "WONDER WOMAN 2" GOT
ITS RELEASE DAZE DATE, NOVEMBER
1st, 2019.
THE SEQUEL WILL BE DIRECTED
AGAIN BY PATTY JENKINS WHO SO
SUCCESSFULLY SHAPED THAT
CHARACTER WITH GAL THE FIRST
TIME AROUND.
IN THE MEANTIME, "JUSTICE
LEAGUE" IS IN THEATERS NOW.
TO HEAR MORE ABOUT MY INTERVIEW
WITH GAL GADOT CHECK OUT OUR WEB
EXTRAS AT TODAY.COM/SUNDAY.
>>> A SUNDAY SITDOWN WITH TYLER
PERRY.
UP FROM A CHILDHOOD OF POVERTY
AND ABUSE, PERRY IS NOW ONE OF
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MOGULS IN
ALL OF ENTERTAINMENT.
TYLER PERRY NEXT WEEK ON "SUNDAY