Disney’s live-action Snow White, released in March 2025, was poised to be a blockbuster, reimagining the 1937 classic with a star-studded cast led by Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Yet, the film stumbled, grossing just $205.5 million worldwide against a $270 million budget, marking one of Disney’s most significant financial disappointments in recent years. In a candid interview on the Israeli talk show The A Talks, Gal Gadot, an Israeli-born actress, attributed the film’s failure to political pressures within Hollywood, particularly the expectation for celebrities to publicly criticize Israel. Her comments, combined with co-star Rachel Zegler’s outspoken support for Palestine, have sparked a firestorm of debate, raising questions about the intersection of politics, celebrity influence, and the entertainment industry’s delicate balancing act.

Gadot, known for her role as Wonder Woman, spoke openly about her disappointment with Snow White’s performance. She initially believed the film would be a “huge hit,” citing the joy of filming and her positive working relationship with Zegler. “I really enjoyed filming that movie, I really had fun,” she said on The A Talks. “Even working alongside Rachel Zegler. We laughed and we talked, we had fun.” However, the events following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and sparked a devastating war in Gaza, shifted the film’s trajectory. Gadot pointed to a broader trend in Hollywood, stating, “There’s pressure on celebrities to speak against Israel. And it happened. I can always explain and try to give context about what’s happening here, but in the end, people make their own decisions. I was disappointed that the movie was incredibly affected by that and that it didn’t do well at the box office.”

The controversy intensified with Rachel Zegler’s public statements. Zegler, a 24-year-old actress of Colombian and Polish descent, posted “Free Palestine” on social media while promoting Snow White, a move that drew significant backlash. According to Variety, the post prompted the film’s producer, Marc Platt, to fly to New York to urge Zegler to remove it. Jonah Platt, Marc’s son, later publicly criticized Zegler, claiming her political activism “hurt the film’s box office.” Gadot’s remarks suggest she shares this view, describing the film as having been caught in a “geopolitical minefield” due to Zegler’s comments. The resulting public and media scrutiny, particularly targeting Gadot’s Israeli background and her past service in the Israel Defense Forces, reportedly led to increased death threats against her, necessitating heightened security measures by Disney.

The film’s troubles were not solely political. Production faced delays from COVID-19, a set fire, and the 2023 Hollywood actors’ strike, pushing the budget to unsustainable heights. Negative test screenings triggered costly reshoots, and critical reception was harsh, with The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey calling the remake “disappointing” and criticizing Gadot’s performance as the Evil Queen. Controversies over casting choices, including Zegler’s role as Snow White and the decision to replace the seven dwarfs with CGI characters after criticism from actor Peter Dinklage, further clouded the film’s release. Yet, Gadot’s comments highlight a deeper issue: the growing expectation for celebrities to take public stances on complex geopolitical issues, often at the cost of their projects.

Following the international media frenzy over her initial remarks, Gadot clarified her stance on Instagram Stories on August 17, 2025. “Sometimes we respond to questions from an emotional place,” she wrote. “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. Of course, the film didn’t fail solely because of external pressures. There are many factors that determine why a film succeeds or fails, and success is never guaranteed.” Her clarification underscores the complexity of navigating personal identity and professional life in an industry increasingly shaped by political discourse.

Zegler, for her part, has defended her activism. In a June 2025 i-D magazine profile, she stated, “A platform becomes a responsibility, and that responsibility is ours to use as we please. My heart doesn’t have a fence around it, and if that is considered my downfall? There are worse things.” Her refusal to back down, even in the face of reported pressure from Disney, has earned her both praise and criticism, with some on X lauding her integrity and others blaming her for the film’s failure.

The Snow White debacle reveals a broader tension in Hollywood: the collision of art, commerce, and geopolitics. As audiences and studios grapple with the role of celebrity activism, Gadot’s experience serves as a cautionary tale of how quickly a film can become a lightning rod for controversy. While she remains philosophical—“You win some, you lose some”—the fallout from Snow White underscores the high stakes of taking a stand in a polarized world.