Gal Gadot is first Israeli actor to receive star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
‘Anything is possible,’ says Gadot, crediting her four daughters with inspiring ‘me to be a better person,’ as small pro- and anti-Israel protests staged outside ceremony
Gal Gadot received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, becoming the first Israeli actor to be awarded the honor.
Speaking at the ceremony, Gadot referred several times to her Israeli roots, even speaking some Hebrew.
“I’m just a girl from a town in Israel,” Gadot said, drawing loud cheers from her supporters in the audience. “To all the young people, especially the young girls, if a girl from Rosh Ha’ayin can get a star on Hollywood Boulevard, anything is possible.”
Gadot also addressed her Israeli family in Hebrew, saying that she loves them, even though they are far away.
The actress, best known for playing “Wonder Woman,” was accompanied by her husband Jaron Varsano, whom she called “my rock, my compass, my firefighter,” and their four daughters — Alma, 13, Maya, 8, Daniella, 3 and Ori, 13 months. “Whenever my success grew, I always got pregnant,” she joked. “I needed to ground myself.”
Speaking to her daughters, Gadot said: “Being your Imma [Hebrew for mother] is the greatest privilege of anything I have ever done. You inspire me to be a better person, to be strong and brave and kind as you are.”
The actress, who got her start with the “Fast and the Furious” film franchise and will soon appear in a remake of “Snow White,” spoke after speeches by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Nissen, as well as comments from her “Fast and Furious” co-star Vin Diesel and “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins.
Jenkins said Gadot always gave 100% on set even in challenging conditions.
“Quite often, she’s in a swimsuit, outdoors, in the wet and stormy gales of the English winter, but not a comfortable swimsuit. It’s one made of a rigid armor, squeezing her corset-like, tight, as she runs through knee-deep mud in platform wedges or sand on a sweltering beach or underwater, or suspended in the air, sideways, maybe upside down,” Jenkins said.
“When people think of actors, all they imagine is the glamour, and yet Gal has had the least glamorous job I can imagine, but has never stopped giving powerful performances, and somehow always being the happiest, kindest, most loving, most heroic person on the set,” the director added.
While Gadot is the first Israeli actor to receive the honor, she was not the first Israeli with a Hollywood star, that honor went to producer Haim Saban, who was awarded one in 2017.
The ceremony comes days before Disney’s new version of “Snow White,” in which Gadot stars as the evil queen, is scheduled to open in theaters in the US. Anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists have called for a boycott of the movie because of Gadot’s participation, and her co-star Rachel Zegler promoted the film with a “Free Palestine” hashtag.
Approximately two dozen protesters gathered outside the ceremony and chanted anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian slogans while Gadot and others were speaking, and one briefly scuffled with police. The protesters were faced by a pro-Israel group of about the same size.
Gadot’s star is the 2,804th to be dedicated on the Walk of Fame, which is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The Times of Israel Community.