Disney has reportedly scaled up Gal Gadot‘s security after the actor received death threats over her pro-Israeli stance. According to an exclusive report by Variety, Gadot, who served in the Israeli armed forces, received an influx of hate after her “Snow White” co-star, Rachel Zegler, voiced her support for Palestine while promoting the live-action musical. Both co-stars have also been at the center of feud rumors, which neither has openly addressed as of yet.
Gal Gadot’s security amped up after she received death threats over pro-Israeli stance
On March 25, Variety reported that Disney increased “Snow White” actor Gal Gadot’s security after she received death threats over her pro-Israeli stance amid the Israel-Hamas war. Her co-star Rachel Zegler’s support for Palestine on social media, all while promoting the movie, caused a spike in hateful comments toward Gadot.
On August 12, Zegler took to the stage at Disney’s D23 fan event to unveil the official trailer of the live-action musical “Snow White.” She expressed gratitude to her followers on X (formerly Twitter) for taking the teaser to 120 million views in a single day. However, she added another comment in the post’s thread saying, “and always remember, free palestine.”
After the clip went viral, it sparked concerns in the Disney studio. Many associated with the studio were taken aback by Zegler merging a political statement with the promotion of the $270 million film. Even after the movie’s producer, Marc Platt, addressed the issue with her, Zegler’s post stayed on the internet. Meanwhile, as her co-star Gal Gadot received hate, Disney had to pay for the star’s additional security. An insider told the outlet, “[Zegler] didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone.”
Rachel Zegler’s actions caused more issues in November after she expressed her displeasure over Donald Trump winning the election. This potentially indicated more damage for the movie, following which Disney paid for a “social media guru” to vet the actor’s posts before the film’s March 21 premiere. Zegler’s criticism of the original “Snow White,” sparking feud rumors with Gadot after calling the latter a “professional pageant queen” on Instagram, only made it worse for the musical, which only made $87 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
Meanwhile, Gal Gadot recently expressed her “shock” at receiving hate over her pro-Israeli stance in an interview with Variety. This was shortly before her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, which saw pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters interrupting the event.