Gal Gadot: Israel Criticism Turned 'Personal'

Actor blames Snow White's poor performance on pressure to speak out against her home country
Posted Aug 18, 2025 12:03 PM CDT
Gal Gadot Explains the Snow White Flop
Gal Gadot speaks at a ceremony honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 18, 2025, in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Forget the bad reviews. Gal Gadot blames "pressure on celebrities to speak out against Israel" for the poor response to Disney's live-action remake of Snow White, in which she starred as the Evil Queen. The film came under fire early on for its casting and its portrayal of the dwarves. The actor playing Snow White, Rachel Zegler, also stirred up controversy—and reportedly death threats for Israel-born Gadot, per the Guardian—with her comments supporting Palestine. Though Gadot says she "really enjoyed filming" Snow White and "even enjoyed working with Rachel Zegler," per USA Today, she says the film was "greatly affected" by the pressure on Hollywood celebrities "to speak out against Israel"—something she did not do.

"In the end, people make their own decisions. And I was disappointed that the movie was incredibly affected by all of that and that it didn't do well at the box office," Gadot, who spent a mandatory two years of service with the Israel Defense Forces, told The A Talks, an Israeli TV show. She said more on this in an Instagram story on Sunday, writing that "when the film came out, I felt that those who are against Israel criticized me in a very personal, almost visceral way. They saw me first and foremost as an Israeli, not as an actress. That's the perspective I spoke from when I answered the question." She added "external pressures" are ultimately one of many factors that determine whether or not a film succeeds. Still, before the release, she'd been "positive the movie was going to be a huge hit."

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