Gal Gadot Got 'Emotional' Watching This Wonder Woman 1984 Scene for the First Time

She may play the titular character, but some moments in "Wonder Woman 1984" surprised even Gal Gadot watching the film.

During a recent press day for the film, the actress praised the opening sequence of the sequel, which shows a young Diana competing against a group of Amazon warriors in Themyscira. In the footage, some of which just dropped online this week, Diana reminisces over the lessons she learned as a child under the guidance of her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright).

"I've seen this contest humble even the most seasoned warriors, Diana," Antiope tells her before the competition begins. "Just do your best and remember, greatness is not what you think. Pace yourself and watch."

What follows is a stunning sequence viewers will see in full when the movie hits HBO Max and theaters on Christmas Day -- a sequence which made Gadot emotional when she watched it for the first time.

"I wasn't lucky enough to see so many Wonder Women-type characters when I was growing up," said Gadot. "When I watched the movie for the first time -- and I'm the star of the movie, I've read all the drafts and I thought I was ready to see anything, we were on set when so much of this was being shot -- but then when I saw the opening sequence, it was certainly something, the reaction I had I just didn't expect to have."

"I got so emotional and for the first time I didn't feel like I was Gal the actress, Gal the woman, I felt like Gal the 8-year-old watching another 8-year-old doing something out of [this world] and being so good at it and she's doing it in her way," she continued. "It moved me so deeply and so much that I got emotional. And then I realized the power of these movies."

Gadot went on to say she's a "big believer that if you see it, you think you can be it and then you become it."

While she didn't have the same female heroes growing up herself, she's seen firsthand how the character has affected her own daughters, Maya and Alma, as well as boys and men who watch the films.

"It's so powerful and it's so strong and I feel very, very grateful that I have the opportunity to be a part of this," she added. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. We're females, our bodies are different, the way we move is different and this is how we do it. Just to see it, it was so great."

"Wonder Woman 1984" hits theaters and HBO on December 25. Check out photos from the film's virtual premiere below!