Cliff Notes – Disney hires more security for Gal Gadot over safety threats
- Gal Gadot is receiving increased security from Disney following death threats linked to her pro-Israel stance amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
- Co-star Rachel Zegler’s pro-Palestinian comments have reportedly intensified backlash against Gadot, prompting concerns for her safety.
Disney hires more security for Gal Gadot over safety threats
Gal Gadot will reportedly have a beefed-up security team provided by Disney after she received death threats over her pro-Israel stance amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The Israeli actress, 39, stars as the Evil Queen in the upcoming Disney movie Snow White and has faced calls for a boycott from pro-Palestinian activists who have criticised her casting.
The Wonder Woman star has publicly advocated for Israel over the years, while co-star Rachel Zegler has made her support for Palestine clear.
While directly promoting the film as she thanked fans for their ‘love’ in response to the trailer in the summer, before adding on X: ‘And always remember, free Palestine.’
This tweet from Zegler allegedly led to a spike in hate towards Gadot.
It has now been reported that Gadot is facing death threats from fans because of her beliefs, and reports have suggested Disney has upped her security after concerns for the star.
Variety reported: ‘ Disney had to pay for additional security for the mother of four.’
An insider also told the outlet that Zegler hadn’t realised the ramifications of her tweet: ‘She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone.’
In October 2023, the Israeli actress voiced her support for her country after Hamas launched an attack at the Nova Music Festival, which killed 364 people.
Gadot shared on Instagram: ‘I stand with Israel you should too.
‘The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!’
In 2021, she also called for an end of conflict: ‘My Heart breaks. My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people.
‘This is a viscous cycle that has been going on far too long. Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation, our neighbours deserve the same.’
‘I pray for the victims and their families, I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so we could live side by side in peace.
‘I pray for better days.’
This is just one of the Snow White controversies, as the film has been plagued by several issues.
Game Of Thrones star Peter Dinklage branded the studio ‘backwards’ for their decision to remake Snow White.
‘Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me,’ the actor, who has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, said on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast in January 2022.
The actor argued that Disney was ‘progressive in one way’ and yet still making a ‘backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together’.
Disney clarified the film was ‘taking a different approach with these seven characters’ and had been ‘consulting with members of the dwarfism community’ in order to ‘avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film’.
Director Marc Webb opted to portray the dwarf characters using CGI, which was met with controversy from actors with dwarfism who claimed the decision was detrimental to their careers.
Snow White has also had a brutal box office opening, raking in just $43 million (£33.3 million) in its opening weekend.
To put into perspective, the budget for the film was $209 million (£162 million) and the big live-action remakes have typically raked in well above $ 50 million.
Live Action films raking in the big bucks included The Jungle Book ($103.2 million), Beauty and the Beast ($174.7 million), Aladdin ($91.5 million), and The Little Mermaid ($95.5 million).
Snow White has even made less than Dumbo which earned just $45.9 million (£35.6 million).
Snow White is in cinemas now.