‘Hollywood’s pressure to oppose Israel ruined Snow White,’ says Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot recently opened up about why she thinks Disney’s live-action Snow White fell flat. Touted as one of the studio’s biggest live-action remakes of a childhood classic, the film, led by Rachel Zegler, flopped at the box office, facing sharp criticism over performances and a storm of political backlash. Speaking on Israeli TV show The A Talks, Gadot said the movie’s outcome was “incredibly affected” by the pressure on Hollywood stars to publicly take sides.
Gal Gadot on Snow White flop
From the casting of Rachel Zegler, an actor of Colombian and Polish descent, as the titular white character, to her past remarks and even rumours of a feud with Gal Gadot, everything together dragged Snow White down at the box office. But according to Gadot, best known for playing Wonder Woman, the real blow was the unsaid push on celebrities to speak against Israel in the ongoing war with Palestine. She explained, “This happens across different industries, even in Hollywood. There’s pressure on celebrities to speak against Israel. And it happened.”
Snow White, made on a massive budget of $270 million, struggled to even recover the amount and ended up making just $87.2 million domestically and $118.5 million internationally. The worldwide total for its theatrical lifetime performance remained at an all-time low of $207 million. Gadot added that while she always tries to give context and explain her stance with an example, in the end, people make their own decisions. The actor admitted she was “disappointed” that the controversy overshadowed the Snow White release, where she played the Evil Queen, saying: “I thought this movie was going to be a huge hit, and then it happened. You win some, you lose some.”
Also read: Snow White movie review: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot star in a bland adaptation with sub-magical actors
Apart from Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, the movie also stars Andrew Burnap as Jonathan, Patrick Page as the Magic Mirror, and Ansu Kabia as the Huntsman. Despite the film’s initial backlash, critics weren’t as harsh. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman actually praised the film, calling it one of Disney’s better live-action remakes. However, the pre-release drama, from questionable CGI to actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism, criticising the decision to remake a story about “seven dwarfs living in a cave” as hypocritical, even as Disney was “proud to cast a Latina actress,” combined with all the other issues made sure the movie couldn’t sail at the box office.
Zegler’s anti-Trump remark, which she later apologised for, only made the situation worse. Behind the scenes, both Zegler and Gadot were also reportedly feuding over their contrasting political stance. Gadot, born in Israel and a former Israeli soldier, has been a vocal supporter of her country. Zegler has openly expressed support for Palestine and criticised Israel over the recent Gaza situation. When the film opened in March, it fell short of its $100 million box office target, leading Disney to pause the production of its live-action remake of Tangled.
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