UPDATE: Gadot has shared the following statement on Instagram after news outlets covered the remarks below:
"I was honored to join an extraordinary interview with inspiring interviewers, whose questions go straight to the heart. 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."
"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. 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."
Gal Gadot has become a surprisingly divisive figure in recent years. While many people turned on the Wonder Woman star for her widely ridiculed "Believe" music video released during the COVID-19 pandemic, her stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has also proved problematic for those who support the cause to free Palestine.
It's another complicated, highly divisive topic, and one that this year's live-action Snow White remake got caught up in. That was partly due to Gadot's support for her home country (protestors appeared at various events for the movie), but also a result of lead star Rachel Zegler writing "and always remember, free palestine" in an X post about the trailer.
Ultimately, Snow White was met with largely negative reviews (38% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a mere $205.7 million at the worldwide box office.
Talking with amateur journalists who are on the autism spectrum (via Toonado.com), Gadot admitted that she believed Snow White was "going to be a huge success," but shared her belief that, "October 7 happened, and what’s happening in all kinds of industries, and also in Hollywood, is that there’s a lot of pressure on celebrities to speak out against Israel."
When one of the interviewers referred to Snow White as a "huge flop," Gadot replied, "You can always explain and try to give people in the world a context about what’s happening [in Israel] and what the reality is here, but in the end people decide for themselves. I was disappointed that the movie was greatly affected by that and didn’t do well at the box office. But that’s how it goes. You win some, you lose some."
Gadot did, however, say that working with Zegler was "fun" and said they laughed together a lot on set.
While the various controversies did impact Snow White (including Zegler's comments about the 1937 classic and some sweeping changes made to the story by Disney), Gadot's performance was widely criticised, and several unintentionally hilarious clips of her take on the Evil Queen quickly went viral on social media.
Snow White is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
The movie is directed by Marc Webb and produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer, and features all-new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Disney's Snow White is now streaming on Disney+.