Media Blames Gal Gadot for Snow White's Failures While Ignoring Rachel Zegler's Role

As Snow White is set to debut, even respected outlet Variety is recognizing Disney’s challenges with the movie. However, instead of addressing the primary cause of audience rejection—Disney’s creative decisions and Rachel Zegler’s controversial statements—traditional media is now subtly introducing Gal Gadot into the discourse as a potential factor.

Disney has made some changes to the Hollywood premiere of Snow White, reducing media presence and omitting the traditional red carpet event. This decision seems to indicate that they’re worried about how the public might respond. However, an article in Variety about this scaled-back event oddly shifted focus from the issue at hand with Snow White, trying to connect Gal Gadot’s speech at the ADL summit to the controversy surrounding Snow White instead.

The issue here lies not in Gadot’s comments but rather in Zegler’s consistent mistakes that have led to this movie becoming a public relations catastrophe.

Variety’s Attempted Narrative Shift

In his piece for the publication Variety, recognized journalist Marc Malkin – famed for querying actors regarding LGBTQ+ themes in their work – penned down:

The international political landscape has also been involved. Zegler, on various social media platforms, advocates for ‘Free Palestine’. Concurrently, Gadot, being Israeli, is vocal about her support for Israel not just on social media but also in a heartfelt speech she delivered at the Anti-Defamation League’s annual summit held in New York City on March 4.

This strategy is intentional. Instead of dwelling on Zegler’s self-created conflicts, Variety subtly shifts attention to Gadot by connecting Malkin to her through the ADL event speech, implying it may have some relevance to the challenges faced by Snow White.

In this scenario, Malkin is changing the subject of discussion from Disney’s mismanagement of the film release to a wider political topic. Instead of focusing on the explosive situation involving Zegler, she redirects criticism towards Gadot, who has publicly identified as Jewish and spoken at an anti-defamation event.

A Clear Difference: Context Matters

Gal Gadot’s speech at the ADL was perfectly suited to the event, as she discussed her Jewish ancestry, her family’s past, and the surge of anti-Semitism, all within the framework of an assembly aimed at tackling these issues. Her comments were neither contentious nor out of place in such a setting.

She was invited to speak about these issues, and she did so with poise and purpose.

She shared, “I’m Gal, and I identify as Jewish.” She added, “It’s astonishing how stating something so basic, something that defines me, feels almost provocative. Regrettably, this is the state of our society nowadays.

She went on to say that she will continue to stand against anti-Jewish prejudice.

She pointed out that we will acknowledge the challenge, but we won’t allow it to overpower or label us. This is because our love is more potent than their hatred.

Variety is grouping these occurrences as part of Snow White’s public relations predicament. Gal Gadot was discussing her identity when it was relevant, while Rachel Zegler took advantage of a Snow White promotional post to awkwardly insert her political viewpoint. Instead of focusing on the trailer for Disney’s film, she wrote “Free Palestine” in a comment aimed at advocating her stance.

This version aims to maintain the original meaning and tone, while making it more accessible and easier to read by avoiding technical jargon and using simple sentence structures.

At an ADL conference, Gal Gadot discussed her personal identity. Meanwhile, Rachel Zegler linked her political views with the marketing of her upcoming film. Combining their actions carelessly appears disrespectful, inappropriate, and seems to echo the very problems that Gadot was addressing in her speech.

Zegler Used Snow White to Push Her Own Agenda

I found myself unwittingly drawn into a political uproar due to Zegler’s actions. Rather than maintaining a conversation centered around our movie, she opted to share controversial opinions in an arena that seemed incongruous. This was further exacerbated by her well-publicized remarks, branding the prince as a stalker and suggesting that my portrayal of Snow White wouldn’t revolve around true love – comments that were particularly noteworthy given her dismissive stance towards the 1937 Snow White film.

Since then, Disney has been working diligently to manage the situation, reducing her public appearances and avoiding major U.S. media interviews. The Tokyo promotional tour was heavily controlled, and the Hollywood premiere was significantly downsized, suggesting that Disney aims to keep a low profile and minimize unwanted attention.

Instead of examining how Zegler’s words influenced audience opinion directly, Variety is drawing in Gadot, a strategy that expansively broadens the controversy, thereby shifting some of the blame from Zegler.

Media Deflection in Action

The article by Marc Malkin in Variety appears to employ a conventional red herring strategy, steering clear of directly discussing Disney’s mishandling of Snow White. Instead, it highlights external political matters, subtly insinuating that the uproar is predominantly about worldwide conflicts rather than the movie itself. By doing this, it effectively redirects the dialogue away from the fact that Disney’s promotional strategies and Zegler’s actions have significantly dampened audience enthusiasm.

To set the record straight, it’s important to note that the backlash against the “Snow White” movie began well before Gal Gadot’s speech at the ADL. The film encountered resistance even before Disney made substantial alterations to the original tale, replaced the Seven Dwarfs with a new cast of characters, and when Zegler downplayed the impact of the cherished animated film. Additionally, the movie was further criticized due to Zegler’s political stance, such as incorporating the Middle Eastern conflict into a promotional post for the film and expressing strong opinions following Donald Trump’s presidential victory, stating that peace would forever elude Trump and his supporters.

In my humble opinion, the less-than-favorable reception towards the latest adaptation of “Snow White” can be attributed to some questionable creative decisions and missteps in its marketing campaign, not due to Gal Gadot’s comments about her personal identity and faith at an unrelated event.

Damage Control Before Release

It’s evident that Disney understands that Snow White is potentially facing difficulties. The reduced premiere, the absence of a comprehensive U.S. press tour for Zegler, and the restricted theatrical release suggest that the anticipation is relatively low.

Currently, outlets such as Variety seem to be involving Gadot in discussions, which suggests that certain sections of the media are trying to find ways to shift blame. They might be constructing a narrative that implies political discourse external to Disney, rather than their own mistakes, is the cause of the film’s difficulties. This strategy also benefits Rachel Zegler as it helps her manage the fallout from numerous controversies she has been involved in.

Nevertheless, as the promotional efforts for the film escalate, it’s Gadot who appears on popular talk shows, whereas Zegler seems to be limited to carefully controlled and pre-scripted social media clips.

Or:

While Gadot takes center stage on talk shows during the movie’s promotion, Zegler is primarily featured in tightly managed and pre-scripted social media segments.

The Bottom Line

The public’s response to the Snow White remake has never been centered around Gal Gadot defending her personal identity and faith. Instead, it has consistently revolved around Disney’s approach to this adaptation and Gal Gadot’s handling of the film’s history. Gal Gadot’s speech was unrelated to Snow White, yet Marc Malkin of Variety tried to connect her to the controversy. This is a clear attempt to manufacture a false equivalence where none truly exists.

Instead of focusing on Snow White, it’s Zegler’s insertion of her political views in the film trailer that has caused the issue. One actress kept discussions about identity appropriate, while the other mixed politics into a corporate promotion, upsetting many viewers. However, the media seems to be viewing both women as equally at fault for the backlash.

As “Snow White” nears its premiere, you’ll likely see increased efforts to divert attention towards Gal Gadot. However, the underlying concern persists: viewers are skeptical about this remake, and Disney hasn’t convincingly addressed these doubts yet.

2025-03-11 23:56

Media Blames Gal Gadot for Snow White’s Failures While Ignoring Rachel Zegler’s Role