Gal Gadot credits Princess Diana in her 'Wonder Woman' portrayal

Gal Gadot shared that the late Princess Diana was her inspiration behind her portrayal of Diana Prince in "Wonder Woman" as she admitted that she tried to emulate the princess' compassion towards people.

The 35-year-old Israeli actress said the inspiration struck while she was watching a documentary on the late Princess of Wales. Gadot remembered Princess Diana being described as "full of compassion and she always cared for the people." That was a light bulb moment for her because she was looking for ways to portray a superhero who is relatable to people.

"That was like, ding, ding, ding, ding. That should be the Wonder Woman that we have," she said in an interview on Vanity Fair's Cocktail Hour, Live! event on Tuesday.

"I wanted to portray a character that people will be inspired by but also be able to relate to," Gadot explained as she added that she wanted to show Princess Diana's "vulnerabilities and heart" that made her relatable to others. The late Princess of Wales was not only known for being a style icon but for her charitable works around the world.

Princess Diana is not the only prominent figure referenced in the superhero film. Film director Patty Jenkins told Gizmodo last year that the villain Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) in "Wonder Woman 1984" was partly inspired by former US President Donald Trump and financier Bernie Madoff. She said she was fascinated by the convicted fraudster's story,

"Trump's definitely one of the people that we looked at, but it's any of those kind of mavericks of business success that was big in the '80s [and] went on to be major players in our world in potentially questionable other ways," she said.

Gadot debuted Diana Prince in the 2016 film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and reprised the role in "Justice League." She then went on to star in her titular films including 2017's "Wonder Woman" and its sequel "Wonder Woman 1984." The third movie is said to be in the early stages of production.