Gadot entered the Miss Israel competition at age 18, thinking it would be a fun experience. "I never thought I would win," she said to "Glamour" magazine. Gadot completed her two mandatory years of military service in the Israel Defense Forces, enlisted as a combat fitness instructor. She began her service at age 20. Gadot says that her background helped her to win the role of Gisele in "Fast & Furious": "I think the main reason was that the director Justin Lin really liked that I was in the military, and he wanted to use my knowledge of weapons." After her military service, Gadot studied law and government at the IDC Herzliya college in Herzliya, Israel.