Gal Gadot dedicated her #SeeHer Award to the victims of sexual harassment at the Critics’ Choice Awards on Thursday (11.01.18).
The 32-year-old actress was given the award for her work on ‘Wonder Woman’ as it aims to recognise the importance of accurately portraying women on screen, and she vowed to continue speaking out for the causes that matter to her.
She said: "I want to share this award with all the women and men who stand for what’s right, standing for those who can’t stand or speak for themselves.
"And I promise, my commitment to all of you is that I will never be silenced. And we will continue to band together to make strides uniting for equality."
Gal was presented with the award by her ‘Wonder Woman’ director, Patty Jenkins, and she kicked off her speech by praising the work of female filmmakers, but admitted there is still "a long way to go" for gender equality in Hollywood.
She said: "The whole process of making this film inspired me and I hope it inspires others. When I started acting, there were very few female-led movies and even fewer female directors.
"This year, three of the top-grossing films were female led and one of them was directed by my wonderful Patty Jenkins.
"There were eight other films in [the] top 100 which were directed by females. So although this is progress, there’s still a long way to go.
"It’s not only our job to entertain, but our duty to inspire and educate for love and respect."
The Israeli star told the audience at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica she’d found the perfect role of a strong, independent woman in Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman.
She said: "She’s full of heart, strength, compassion, and forgiveness. She sees wrong that must be made right. She takes action when everyone around her is idle. She commands the attention of the world, and in doing so, she sets a positive example for humanity."
Before she received the award, Patty had given a heartfelt speech in which she explained why she felt Gal deserved the award.
She said: "She excelled at every aspect of the universal hero’s struggle in real life on and off the screen. But the really special thing is, she didn’t do it for the glory. She didn’t do it for the fame. She’s not here for the money. She did it for us.
"She knew the great importance of this character and what she could mean to the world if well done."
Gal Gadot’s empowering speech
