In an interview, Gal Gadot revealed that she auditioned for a role as a Bond Girl; however, failing to receive this role may have been a lucky break. In 2008, Gadot auditioned to portray Camille Montes in Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig’s second James Bond movie. Both seeking revenge for the murder of their loved ones, Bond and Montes worked together to hunt down the killers and foil the plans of their secret organization. However, Olga Kurylenko received the part instead of Gadot.

While Gadot did not act in Quantum of Solace, she soon landed her breakout role as Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the Fast & Furious film series. Gadot went on to appear in three more Fast & Furious movies, which helped launch her career into receiving the role of Wonder Woman in the DCEU franchise. Most recently, Gadot portrayed an infamous art thief in Netflix’s Red Notice, which broke the streaming platform’s record for its most-watched movie during its debut weekend. Gadot also has several major upcoming movies, including the murder mystery Death on the Nile, the biopic Cleopatra, and Disney’s live-action Snow White. However, one of Gadot’s most important roles is the one she did not receive.

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Reflecting upon her audition to be a Bond girl in an interview with InStyle, Gadot explained that the casting director for Quantum of Solace had been interested in her due to seeing her card at a modeling agency. At the Bond audition though, Gadot told the casting director, “Listen, I'm not an actress. I'm here because my agent told me you really wanted to see me, but I don't want to waste your time.” Afterward, Gadot did not receive the part. However, this may have actually benefitted Gadot’s career, encouraging her to improve her acting skills and preparing her for other roles. Had it not been for this early setback, she may not have had the impetus to move forward and grow as a performer.

Gal Gadot in Fast Five

One reason not getting the Bond girl part may have been good for Gadot was that her failure motivated her to take greater steps to pursue her acting career. As a young actor, the experience not only gave Gadot her first exposure to the auditioning process, but encouraged her to take lessons with acting coaches. She then began auditioning for local productions, landing her first television role in Israel. Her audition also gave her connections to Hollywood since the same casting director for Quantum of Solace also worked on Fast & Furious. Although Gadot did not receive the Bond girl role, the casting director remembered her and ended up hiring her for Fast & Furious.

In addition, landing the part in Quantum of Solace might not have helped Gadot’s career. After the success of Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace received less positive reviews. Becoming a Bond girl can also be a risky decision for actors, forcing them to deal with the so-called “Bond girl curse.”  This term holds that while performing as a Bond girl can launch an unknown actor to fame, it tends to damage her career in the long run. While this seems not to have happened to Kurylenko, who recently performed in The Room and Black Widow, acting as Montes did not significantly help her career. In contrast, not landing the role ensured that Gadot was available for Fast & Furious. Due to this, failing to become a Bond girl in Quantum of Solace may have been good for Gal Gadot’s career, preparing her for better opportunities.

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