Gal Gadot blames Snow White’s failure on anti-Israel campaign

Israeli actress Gal Gadot told Israel’s Channel 12 News on Thursday that the “enormous pressure” applied to celebrities and actors following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre to speak out against Israel led to the disappointing performance of her film “Snow White.”

Her comments led to a storm of criticism. Hundreds of thousands of online users refused to let her statement rest, joined within hours by news websites.

To calm the tempest, Gadot attempted to clarify her statement on Instagram, on which she has hundreds of millions of followers.

“Sometimes we respond to questions from an emotional place. When the film came out, I felt that those who are against Israel criticized me in a very personal, almost visceral way,” she said.

“They saw me first and foremost as an Israeli, not as an actress,” she explained. “That’s the perspective I spoke from when I answered the question. Of course, the film did not fail solely because of external pressures. There are many factors that determine why a film succeeds or fails, and success is never guaranteed,” she said.

There were calls to boycott the movie simply because of Gadot’s participation in it.

Alia Malak, of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, told The Guardian: “By choosing to directly represent genocidal Israel, Gal Gadot’s films are boycottable.”

Rachel Zegler, Gadot’s co-star, posted on Aug. 13, 2024: “and always remember, free palestine.”

Zegler also created a firestorm when she criticized the original film for its heroine with skin “as white as snow,” and described Prince Charming as a stalker.

Despite Zegler’s anti-Israel comments, Gadot said she enjoyed working with her. “We laughed and talked, and it was fun,” she said. “I felt certain this film would succeed enormously, and then Oct. 7 happened,” she added.

However, the live-action remake of “Snow White” was a box-office bomb. With a production budget of $240–$270 million, it grossed only $206 million worldwide.

It was also a critical failure, with only 38% of critics reviewing it favorably on Rotten Tomatoes, the popular movie review site.

One reviewer called it “toe-curlingly terrible.”

In July, Forbes reported that “Snow White” was “on its way to becoming the worst reviewed of the year’s biggest films so far.”

Gal also explained her decision not to wear a yellow pin in solidarity with the hostages at the recent Golden Globes ceremony, for which she was criticized.

“I was invited to the Golden Globes to present an award. At such events, there are many collaborations and brands that are involved, and it’s quite complicated. It didn’t feel right for me to wear the ribbon to work. It could be that this was a mistake,” she said.

This is a version of an article originally published by Israel Hayom.