Celebrities You Didn't Know Competed in Beauty Pageants

Long before Gadot stepped into Wonder Woman's iconic gear, the original show's star coincidentally also had a pageant past … and her moment in the spotlight happened dizzyingly fast. According to a 2015 interview with The Daily Express, Carter was crowned Miss Phoenix, Miss Arizona, and became Miss USA, heading to the Miss World contest in London in 1972, all in the span of 20 days.

But it seems she doesn't have the fondest memories of her pageant days, saying she "didn't intend to become a beauty queen" and "didn't really enjoy it that much," adding, "It was all so silly, wearing a crown and banner when it was the 1970s and women's liberation was everywhere. That was quite a stigma to overcome."

Of course, she went on to land one of the most famous feminist roles ever, so it seems all's well that ends well.