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Gal Gadot Gets Candid About ‘Snow White’ Flop After Rachel Zegler’s ‘Free Palestine’ Comment
Gal Gadot at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. Photo: Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
Israeli actress Gal Gadot opened up for the first time in a rare, public interview about the box office failure of her film last year, the live action remake of Disney’s “Snow White,” after its lead star and title character Rachel Zegler proclaimed “Free Palestine” on social media.
Gadot, who starred as the Evil Queen in the remake of the 1937 Disney classic, also said she believes “pressure on celebrities to speak out against Israel” ended up “greatly affecting” the film and contributed to its box office flop. The former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, who is a vocal supporter of the Jewish state and the eighth generation to be born there on her father’s side, made the comments during an appearance last week on the Israeli television show “Special Interview,” where celebrities are asked questions by autistic interviewers, and no question is off-limits. The Keshet 12 show is hosted by Gadot’s friend, Israeli actress Rotem Sela.
Mere days after the trailer for “Snow White” debuted last year, Zegler showed support for the Palestinian cause in a post on X. Gadot never directly responded to Zegler’s tweet at the time, but the son of the film’s producer called Zegler’s comments “immature” and blamed them for the film’s poor reviews. Zegler and Gadot went on separate press tours around the world for the film and at the “Snow White” premiere in Los Angeles, media outlets were not allowed to attend the red carpet to interview the costars. Zegler also did not attend Gadot’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony while the director and producer of “Snow White” both attended.
“Snow White” hit theaters in March 2024 and was reportedly one of Disney’s worst performing live-action remakes in almost a decade, following “Pete’s Dragon” in 2016.
During her Hebrew-language appearance on “Special Interview,” Gadot said she “really enjoyed filming” the movie and even enjoyed working with Zegler. “We laughed, we talked, and it was fun,” she noted.
“I was sure that this movie was going to be a huge success,” Gadot added. “And then Oct. 7, [2023] 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. I can always explain and try to give people in the world a context about what’s happening and what the reality is here. And I always do, 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 what happened.”
“You win some, you lose some,” Gadot then said in English.
Gadot also talked on “Special Interview” about other topics, such as being “scared to death” when she had a life-threatening brain clot during her pregnancy with her fourth daughter, Ori. She said that Sela and other close girlfriends helped her during her recovery. Gadot also discussed trying to keep her family connected to Israel even while they live in Los Angeles, and other aspects of her career.
She was even asked about her decision to not wear to the Golden Globes in January a pin in solidarity with the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
“I am Israeli. And I am a very, very proud Israeli,” she began by saying in response. At the Golden Globes, I was invited to present an award. And with these things, there are a lot of collaborations, and a lot of brands involved and it’s very complex. And it felt to me that it was not right to wear the pin there, when I’m coming to work. And it could be that it was a mistake.”
In an Instagram Story on Sunday, Gadot clarified the comments she made on “Special Interview” about the failure of “Snow White.”
“I was honored to join an extraordinary interview with inspiring interviewers, whose questions go straight to the heart,” Gadot wrote, as seen in a screenshot of the Instagram Story captured by BuzzFeed. “Sometimes we respond to questions from an emotional place. When the film [‘Snow White’] 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,” she concluded.
On Sunday, Gadot met with families of Israeli hostages at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to support them during a nationwide protest called “Israel On Hold,” which was organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in an effort to pressure the Israeli government to negotiate for the release of the 50 remaining hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Israel’s Supreme Court Orders Improved Food for Security Prisoners
Israel’s Supreme Court. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday instructed the Prison Service (Shabas) to guarantee adequate food supplies for security prisoners, ruling that current conditions fall short of minimum legal standards. The decision followed an appeal filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
In a 2–1 ruling, the court found that the food situation posed “a risk of non-compliance with legal standards.” Justice Dafna Barak-Erez stressed that the matter concerned “basic conditions necessary for survival, as required by law,” not comfort or privilege. Justice Ofer Grosskopf agreed, noting the state had not shown the policy was consistently applied to all inmates.
Justice David Mintz dissented, maintaining that the existing policy already met legal requirements.
The court underscored that Israel’s legal obligations remain binding, even in light of the ongoing hostage crisis in Gaza and the fact that many of the prisoners include Hamas members involved in the October 7, 2023 attack.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the ruling, arguing that while hostages in Gaza lack protection, “terrorist murderers, kidnappers, and rapists in prison” benefit from the Court’s intervention. He added that prisoners would continue receiving only the minimum conditions required by law.
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Ukrainian Government Building Set Ablaze in Record Russian Airstrike
Illustrative. More damage caused by the Russian drone that hit the Perlina school in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 30, 2024. Photo: Jewish community JCC in Kyiv, Kyiv municipality, and Yan Dobronosov
i24 News – The Ukrainian government’s main building in Kyiv was hit overnight Saturday by Russian airstrikes for the first time since the war, igniting a fire in the building, authorities said. Firefighters are working to put out the flames.
“The government building was damaged by an enemy attack — the roof and upper floors,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said. The blaze is is burning in the area of the office of the prime minister.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a total of 805 drones and 13 missiles overnight on Ukraine — a record number since the start of the war.
Also as a result of the strike, a baby and a young woman were killed after a nine-story residential building was hit in the Svyatoshynsky district, also in Kyiv. Rescuers are still looking for a third body, authorities said. A woman was also reported killed in the strike in Novopavlivka village.
“The world must respond to this destruction not only with words, but also with actions. We need to increase sanctions pressure – primarily against Russian oil and gas. We need new restrictions that will hit the Kremlin’s military machine. And most importantly, Ukraine needs weapons. Something that will stop the terror and prevent Russia from trying to kill Ukrainians every day,” wrote Sviridenko after the attack.
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‘Trump’s Legacy Crumbles’: Israelis Call on US President to End Gaza War
Israeli protestors take part in a rally demanding the immediate release of the hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, and the end of war in Gaza, in Jerusalem September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, issuing direct appeals to US President Donald Trump to force an end to the Gaza war and secure the release of the hostages.
Protesters packed a public square outside the military headquarters, waving Israeli flags and holding placards with images of the hostages. Some carried signs, including one that read: ‘Trump’s legacy crumbles as the Gaza war persists.’
Another said: “PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAVE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
“We think that Trump is the only man in the world who has authority over Bibi, that can force Bibi to do this,” said Tel Aviv resident Boaz, 40, referring to the Israeli prime minister.
There is growing despair among many Israelis at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has ordered the military to capture a major urban center where hostages may be held.
Families of the hostages and their supporters fear the assault on Gaza City could endanger their loved ones, a concern the military leadership shares, according to Israeli officials.
Orna Neutra, the mother of an Israeli soldier who was killed on October 7, 2023 and whose body is being held in Gaza by militants, accused the government of abandoning its citizens.
“We truly hope that the United States will push both sides to finally reach a comprehensive deal that will bring them home,” she told the rally. Her son, Omer, is also American.
Tel Aviv has witnessed weekly demonstrations that have grown in size, with protesters demanding that the government secure a ceasefire with Hamas to obtain the release of hostages. Organizers said Saturday night’s rally was attended by tens of thousands. A large demonstration was also held in Jerusalem.
There are 48 hostages held in Gaza. Israeli officials believe that around 20 are still alive. Palestinian terrorists abducted 251 people from Israel on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led its attack. Most of the hostages who have been released were freed after indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
NO PURPOSE
Trump had pledged a swift end to the war in Gaza during his presidential campaign, but nearly eight months into his second term, a resolution has remained elusive. On Friday, he said that Washington was engaged in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas.
Israeli forces have carried out heavy strikes on the suburbs of Gaza City, where, according to a global hunger monitor, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are facing famine. Israeli officials acknowledge that hunger exists in Gaza but deny that the territory is facing famine. On Saturday, the military warned civilians in Gaza City to leave and move to southern Gaza.
There are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in the city that was home to around a million before the war.
A video released by Hamas on Friday featured Israeli hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, saying that he was being held in Gaza City and feared being killed by the military’s assault on the city. Rights groups have condemned such videos of hostages as inhumane. Israel says that it is psychological warfare.
The war has become unpopular among some segments of Israeli society, and opinion polls show that most Israelis want Netanyahu’s right-wing government to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Hamas that secures the release of the hostages.
“The war has no purpose at all, except for violence and death,” said Boaz from Tel Aviv. Adam, 48, said it had become obvious that soldiers were being sent to war for “nothing.”
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since it launched its retaliatory war after Hamas fighters attacked Israel from Gaza in October 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed in that attack on southern Israel.
The terrorist group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but today controls only parts of the enclave, on Saturday once again said that it would release all hostages if Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza.
Netanyahu is pushing for an all-or-nothing deal that would see all of the hostages released at once and Hamas surrendering.
The prime minister has said Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold and capturing it is necessary to defeat the Palestinian militant group, whose October 2023 attack on Israel led to the war.
Hamas has acknowledged it would no longer govern Gaza once the war ends but has refused to discuss laying down its weapons.