Courtesy of Disney Gal Gadotis backtracking her recent comments that pressure to speak out against Israel — the actress' home country — played a major role inSnow White's failure at the box office. "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," Gadot shared in a text post to her Instagram Stories on Sunday. The actress was referring to aJerusalem Postinterview, in which she claimed that "pressure on celebrities to speak out against Israel" following the Palestinian militant group Hamas' killing of approximately 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, "greatly affected" the film's financial performance. "When the film came out, I felt that those who are against Israel criticized me in a very personal, almost visceral way," she wrote on Instagram. "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." Gal Gadot/Instagram Gadot continued, "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." Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to a representative for Gadot for comment. Snow White, which had adismal box office debutin March, wasmired in controversysinceRachel Zeglerwasannounced as its starin the fall of 2021. From backlash to an actress of Colombian descent playing the titular Disney princess toPeter Dinklageand others'criticismof the film's portrayal of dwarfs, the film had its fair share of "external pressures" to contend with. But Gadot's former service in the Israeli Defense Forces and continued support of the country amid its siege of Gaza, which recently surpassed adeath tollof 60,000 Palestinians, sparked a fair amount of ire, and even aboycott. Zegler herself waded into the controversy,posting"free Palestine" shortly before the film's first trailer release in Aug. 2024. Later, Jonah Platt, the son ofSnow WhiteproducerMarc Plattand brother toDear Evan HansenstarBen Platt, lay the blame at Zegler's feet, revealing her post prompted his father to "fly across the country to reprimand his 20-year-old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for." Giles Keyte/Disney Want more movie news? Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free newsletterto get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. In her interview withThe Jerusalem Post, Gadot denied any allegations of conflict between herself and Zegler, stating, "I even enjoyed working with Rachel Zegler. We laughed, we talked, and it was fun. I was sure that this movie was going to be a huge success." Some of the internal pressures Gadot alluded to included Disneyforgoing a traditional red-carpet premierefor the film, instead inviting only photographers and house interviewers. Snow Whiteended its global box office run on May 30 with alifetime grossof $205 million, resulting in an estimated$115 millionloss for Disney. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
