The Snow White live-action just hit theaters, but the controversies surrounding it have been brewing for months — and not even Disney’s “magic” can sweep it under the rug (or save the box office).
The tension between the movie’s lead actresses, Rachel Zegler—who plays the princess—and Gal Gadot—who plays the Evil Queen—has turned into a PR nightmare for Disney… and apparently, a security issue too. Why Don’t Gadot and Zegler Get Along?
Neither Gal or Rachel have made any official statements about their so-called ‘feud,’ but the reason seems pretty obvious: their opposing views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Born in Israel, Gal Gadot has been a vocal supporter of her country’s actions, frequently sharing her opinions online. Meanwhile, Rachel Zegler has been outspoken in her support for Palestine, making her stance clear in multiple posts.
One post in particular stirred the pot—Rachel’s tweet right after the Snow White trailer dropped in August last year. It went viral and basically set off a behind-the-scenes firestorm.According to Variety, producer Marc Platt even flew to New York to personally ask Rachel to delete the tweet—but she didn’t budge.
The backlash from the post didn’t just affect Rachel—it also led to Gal Gadot getting a wave of online hate, including death threats. Things got so serious that Disney had to hire extra security for her, Variety reports.
In the Variety article, an insider put the blame on Zegler, saying: “She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone.”
Tensions Escalate During the ‘Snow White’ Promo Tour
The film’s promo campaign was just as awkward as the drama behind the scenes. While presenting an Oscar category together at this year’s Academy Awards, the vibe between Rachel and Gal felt… off. Some fans even joked that Rachel looked like she was actively trying to dodge Gal.And the shade didn’t stop there. After the ceremony, a comment Rachel left on Instagram calling Gal a “professional pageant queen” raised eyebrows—because, yeah, that definitely sounded like a dig. As Variety put it, that’s considered a “dismissive way to describe a fellow actress”.
Fans also noticed that in the thousands of Instagram dumps Rachel posted about Snow White, not a single pic included Gal Gadot.
Also, Disney’s decision to keep them apart at press events only added fuel to the fire. Apparently, the two stars were “kept apart” during the March 15 premiere. Rumor has it, Zegler sat two rows ahead of Gadot and her family.
‘Snow White’ is Embroiled in Controversies
Well, there isn’t just one poisoned apple in this basket. Other factors may have tanked the film’s performance, like the questionable costume design and the decision to replace the dwarfs with CGI “magical creatures.”Then, of course, there’s the backlash at Rachel Zegler being cast as Snow White. Critics and fans were mad because her Colombian roots don’t exactly fit the look of the animated version. (It’s 2025, people. Let’s move on already.)
Zegler’s outspoken nature might’ve also played a role in audience pushback. She openly criticized Trump and called the original Snow White story “outdated,” which apparently made some people nope out of the movie entirely.