If you read my Twitter at all, you know that I was pretty excited about the Wonder Woman film – to the extent of exclamation point abuse. I saw it on Friday and enjoyed the hell out of it. I could list issues I had with the film but overall I am thrilled with it and will watch it again. One of my favorite parts about the film was the portrayal of the citizens of Themyscira, especially the warriors. CrossFit pro Brooke Ence was hand-picked by Zack Snyder to portray an Amazon and she was eventually cast as Penthiselea. The cool thing is Brooke always wanted to do theater and trained for years in dance but her muscular frame cost her roles. Now, years after forging a career with her strong physique, her childhood wish is coming true and she’s got not one but two superhero films under her belt.

Brooke Ence was preparing for the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games when she got a call asking if she wanted to portray an Amazon warrior in the upcoming Justice League film.

“[Director] Zack Snyder had come across a picture of me online and asked Warner Bros. to reach out,” Ence, 27, tells PEOPLE. “It took me a little while to accept [the role] because I wasn’t sure it was going to be worth disrupting my career. I was training for the World Finals of the CrossFit Games, but I ended up accepting it. It was a natural thing for me to do Wonder Woman as well after doing Justice League.”

Ence is best known as a competitive CrossFit athlete, but she actually has a background in musical theater and grew up singing and dancing.

“I always thought I would be on Broadway,” she said, but felt she ended up taking a different path because of her physique. “My whole life I’ve been a very muscular girl. I knew all of the dance companies I could never dance for because of the way that I looked.”

Which is why she knew she wanted to be a part of Wonder Woman, portraying the Amazon warrior Penthiselea.

“It couldn’t have been more perfect to be a part of a film where being a powerful, strong woman is not frowned upon,” she says. “It’s super empowering to all ages and sexes. It could not have been a better role for me.”

Ence says getting to work alongside Gal Gadot and the other strong women in the film was “a fantastic experience.”

“The best thing is knowing that I was part of something that will mean a lot and will send a very positive message for boys and girls and men and women for years to come,” says Ence. “I got to play a role that means so much to me as a woman, and as a strong woman. It [shows that] strong is beautiful, strong is powerful, but it’s not just strong in the physical sense — it’s strong in your attitude, it’s strong in your mental game, in your compassion. That’s what I think is portrayed really well by Gal in this movie.”

[From People]

So I kind of love this whole story. I love that she always wanted to be on Broadway and I love that after being unfairly alienated due to her frame, she ends up living out her fantasy solely because of her frame. It’s a nice bit of symmetry. Brooke said the fight sequences were a mixed bag for her. She grew up riding horses and is a trained dancer so the choreography was no problem. But she was not trained in fighting or weapons so that she had to learn and, she said, those swords are heavy. If you scroll through Brooke’s Instagram, you’ll see she’s dedicated to prompting positive role models for young women. I can see how doing a film like this would be quite empowering and a reinforcement of everything she works for. I know director Patty Jenkins was floored by all the girls dressing up as WW to see the film, I imagine Brooke shares her emotions. Huge dollar signs are marvelous for a career but I think when it comes to Wonder Woman, the cast and crew got an emotional affirmation that will never leave them. And from what Brooke said, it sounds like that feeling started on set.

I am curious about this Justice League development. The article said she decided to do Wonder Woman after Justice League so who is she in JL? Is she Penthiselea? Are the Amazons coming back (I say, crossing my fingers)? Or was she hired for another role and Zack asked that she be cast in WW? Nah, the Amazons are back. That’s my hope and I’m sticking to it. Seriously, I loved the fight scenes in WW. All of them – every one. Women rock.

I have been getting tagged in all sorts of Amazon photos. They are usually photos I don't remember taking, like this one 😜. #wonderwoman #penthiselea #itmakesence

A post shared by brookeence (@brookeence) on Jun 3, 2017 at 7:29am PDT

Did an interview with @muscleandfitnesshers about training, inspiring women, and playing an Amazon in Wonder Woman. Link in my bio !!! Photo credit: @clayenos #itmakesence #wonderwoman #muscleandfitness #amazons

A post shared by brookeence (@brookeence) on Jun 5, 2017 at 5:59pm PDT

⚔️ my tribe #itmakesence #amazons #wonderwoman

A post shared by brookeence (@brookeence) on May 20, 2017 at 11:00am PDT

And of course this…… this is what I live for. Inspiring little ones to grow up strong, able and confident. 🤗 #Repost @sneaks_and_eats (@get_repost) ・・・ My lil one flexing with @brookeence at the @crossfitgames 💪🏼#californiaregionals #brookeence #wod @crossfit #killcliff #nobull

A post shared by brookeence (@brookeence) on May 27, 2017 at 5:46pm PDT

Photo credit: WENN Photos and Instagram