The press release for this cover and profile teased, "the February cover star talks childbirth, the Israeli army, and, yes, “Imagine," and when I read that, I thought, "Gal is really asking for the internet to have thoughts about this!" And then I realized what she's not talking about: Namely, that she has to be out there promoting Death on the Nile, but she probably does NOT want to talk about her co-star Armie Hammer (who has been, also, mostly cut completely from the trailer). (His being in this is an unfortunate bummer for everyone, including those of us -- me -- who love a glossy Agatha Christie and Egypt.)
The profile is calling "Going There With Gal Gadot," and -- like all of the ones that InStyle has EiC Laura Brown do herself -- it is an interesting read. I didn't, for example, know that Gal essentially threw the Miss Universe pageant because she hated being Miss Israel so much. This is also a good bit:
GG: Yeah. Might as well. They had a mic there.
LB: So many people just wouldn't do that.
GG: It just felt right, and I don't take myself too seriously. And with the whole "Imagine" controversy, it's funny. [In March 2020 Gadot released a video of her and celebrity friends singing John Lennon's "Imagine" that was branded as tone-deaf on social media.] I was calling Kristen [Wiig] and I was like, "Listen, I want to do this thing." The pandemic was in Europe and Israel before it came here [to the U.S.] in the same way. I was seeing where everything was headed. But [the video] was premature. It wasn't the right timing, and it wasn't the right thing. It was in poor taste. All pure intentions, but sometimes you don't hit the bull's-eye, right? I felt like I wanted to take the air out of it, so that [event] was a delightful opportunity to do that.
As far as the cover goes, I definitely think there are some shots from the inside editorial that feel a bit lighter, but there is something appropriate for February 2022 about your cover model looking beautifully exasperated. Who amongst us hasn't thought, "I'm OVER THIS. Should I get bangs?"
The subscriber cover is a little more wistful:
Wistful, with a great coat.