Live action Snow White movie's star further jeopardizes its prospects
Rachel Zegler, best known for her role in "West Side Story" and now playing Snow White in Disney's live-action remake, has stirred controversy with her public support for Palestinians. Despite sharing the screen with Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, Zegler does not hesitate to express her political views, especially concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.If Gadot's not publicly saying anything in support of Israel on her part, that's damaging too. In other words, Zegler can make all the noxious statements she wants, but Gadot can't say anything helpful? Now that's degrading, but it does make clear Gadot doesn't have the courage needed for the job. As a result, it's hard to see her casting as Wonder Woman as something to admire, its own political correctness aside. And as for Zegler, she completely ignores the Hamas' barbarism, which includes murder of people suspected of collaborating with Israel in the past decade. Zegler's refusal to condemn abominations like those only makes clear her stand is actually phony, and doesn't care about the human rights of Arabs.
Three days after the official release of the first trailer for the highly anticipated live-action version of "Snow White" at Disney's fan convention - and following a wave of antisemitic and pro-Palestinian attacks on Gadot online - Zegler decided to make clear which side of the conflict she supports.
"I love you all so much!" she tweeted from her official X account (formerly Twitter), followed by 389,000 users. "Thank you for the love and for 120m views on our trailer in just 24 hours! What a whirlwind. I am in the thick of rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet so I'm gonna get outta here. Bye for now. And always remember, free Palestine.'"
[...] This tweet is far from the first time the Golden Globe-winning actress has expressed her unequivocal support for the Palestinian side. Even before the current war, Zegler had posted numerous tweets and Instagram stories calling for an end to violence and supporting Palestinian human rights.
[...] In October 2023, Zegler again expressed her concern over the situation in Gaza in another tweet on her X account, calling for an immediate ceasefire without any mention of the Israeli hostages.
And what does Gal have to say on the matter? As expected, Gal finds herself in a complex professional situation and therefore avoids directly addressing Zegler's positions. However, the tension and alienation between the two are evident during joint interviews or events related to promoting "Snow White," where it's noticeable that Gal maintains a certain distance and minimal interaction with Zegler, refraining from responding to or acknowledging her political statements.
Breitbart notes that:
Disney CEO Bob Iger has publicly stated he wants the company to stop engaging in ruinous cultural and political wars that have led the company into financial turmoil in recent years, resulting in more than 7000 layoffs worldwide.Well he sure hasn't done a good job so far reining in the offending players at the studio yet. Come to think of it, has anybody else in Hollywood? One of the most aggravating things about modern Tinseltown is there's only so many leftists who won't keep their mouths shut, no matter how much it could minimize the damage if they were willing to. Zegler's only the latest example.
Now, anybody sensible who might be willing to put aside the divisivness of the film's own wokeness just to support Gadot will certainly have to reevaluate, and avoid the movie if that's what it takes to make clear they can't give money to this new Snow White adaptation if Zegler's going to make such horrific statements. Besides, Gadot unfortunately put herself in an absurd situation, playing alongside somebody who's said stuff that's hurtful to her own country, and making things worse by playing the baddie opposite a divisive leftist who's undeservedly playing the heroine of the story. Once again, Walt Disney's visions have been dealt a crippling blow in more ways than one. And once again, Gadot's made an unwise choice in her career that only makes it hard to tell if she's really got a film legacy.
Labels: animation, golden calf of villainy, islam and jihad, misogyny and racism, terrorism, violence