When Disney announced the live-action adaptation of one of its most classic and overdone stories it seemed unnecessary, and the audience was really not enthusiastic. No one expected that as its' release approached, the film would take on a current, political, and relevant dimension that would make it the talk of the town, thanks to its two stars: Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot stepping into the shoes of the Evil Queen.
The buzz started earlier this week at the D23 Expo, where the teaser for the film, slated for a March 21, 2025 release, was unveiled. Viewers remained largely indifferent to the footage and chose to focus on the two actresses, who faced criticism from all directions. Gadot, unsurprisingly, faced backlash for being Israeli, a Zionist, and a former IDF soldier, prompting many to announce a boycott of the film because of her, but this is nothing new.
Zegler, on the other hand, probably didn’t expect to read numerous comments joking that the new film’s plot wasn’t very believable, as the Evil Queen is, to put it gently, much more beautiful than her stepdaughter. Additionally, viewers questioned how Snow White, whose skin is supposed to be "as white as snow," did not meet the expected fair complexion of the character.
Battle of the stars
Here began the clash between the two stars and unlike, in the movie, Snow White (Zegler) was the one who threw the first punch – and the second. Zegler, it appears, took the critiques to heart and posted two statements that she surely knew would stir the masses. The first was an Instagram photo with the caption: "The fairest of them all, by the way." This blunt statement brought her post 409,000 likes and more than 2,000 argumentative comments ranging from "Sweetie, you’re gorgeous" to "You’re the ugliest and also a terrible actress."
In addition to likely being hurt by the criticism of her appearance, Zegler may have feared being perceived as pro-Israel. Therefore, she didn’t just stop at her Instagram battle but created a larger one on Twitter, making sure to distance herself further from Gadot by tweeting: "And always remember, Free Palestine." The tweet has reached nearly five million viewers, received 45,000 likes, and garnered 4,800 comments, with supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinians lighting up the comments.
Later, Zegler posted another evasive and annoying tweet: "I love you all so much! Thanks for the love and 120 million trailer views in just 24 hours. I’m in the middle of rehearsals for 'Romeo and Juliet,' so I’m leaving now. Bye for now."
Gadot responds without responding
Today, Gadot responded to the storm for the first time, but she did so indirectly and gently, with a story featuring a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous quote: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Next to the quote, she wrote: "Only love can truly save the world," ending with a heart and her name in Hebrew.
By the way, if you were wondering: Gadot and Zegler follow each other on Instagram, but regarding their follower counts, no question’s more popular: Zegler has 2.2 million followers, while Gadot has 108 million.
Of course, the storm didn’t remain confined to their post comments and became a heated discussion on social networks, ranging from comments about the film itself, to the war, hostages, Hamas and Gaza, to whether calls to boycott the film stem from antisemitism. Anyone who followed Zegler a bit knew that this storm was bound to come sooner or later since she has never hidden her pro-Palestinian views and called for the liberation of Palestine long before October 7, while Gadot, of course, has consistently expressed her support for Israel over the years.
The interesting question is what the relationship between the two was like during filming, which began in March 2022 and lasted about four months, with additional reshoots conducted two months ago. Did they get along behind the scenes or at least maintain a cold and polite peace – or was the atmosphere on set as frosty as if it were a live-action "Frozen"?
At the Disney event earlier this week, they appeared together on stage but maintained a composed and smiling facade – although some viewers insisted on finding hidden hints of rivalry between them.
The most important question, at least for Disney, is whether all this drama will bring audiences to theaters? We’ll find out in March.
Not a first for Zegler
Zegler has previously angered fans of the original film when she said in an interview that she was not a fan of its story: "We completely re-wrote Snow White so that the prince won’t be the one to save her, and she won’t be dreaming of true love. She aims to be the leader she knows she can be, as her late father told her she could be if she is brave, honest, and true to herself." She added: "The prince is a stalker; it’s a weird story."
Viewers, as expected, did not like her comments and responded, among other things: "Criticizing Disney princesses is not feminist. Not every woman is a leader, and not every woman has to want to lead," said one; "Thinking a woman is less because she falls in love or because someone helps her instead of solving her problems herself – that’s not feminist" was another comment, and another user wondered why she even plays in the film "if you hate the story so much."
Even the son of the film’s animator and director, David Hand (who bears the same name), responded angrily: "There is no respect for what Disney did and what my father did. I think Walt and my father would be turning in their graves."