Rachel Zegler’s “Free Palestine” tweet last year caused a stir at Disney. The tweet, seen by over 9 million people, led to the film’s producer Marc Platt flying to New York to meet with Zegler. Platt’s wife is the chair of the Jewish Federations of North America.
The fallout was significant. Gal Gadot, Zegler’s co-star, received death threats. This prompted Disney to hire extra security for her.
Months later, Zegler stirred up controversy again. She tweeted “F— Donald Trump” and expressed hope that his supporters would “never know peace.” This led to another meeting with Platt. Disney then hired a social media advisor to approve Zegler’s posts until the movie’s premiere.
The controversies may have contributed to “Snow White” opening to a modest $43 million domestically. This was despite its $270 million production budget and $100 million marketing budget.
Disney’s response to Zegler’s posts
Zegler and Gadot reportedly got along well during filming. However, things got tense before the film’s release. Zegler referred to Gadot as “a professional pageant queen” in an Instagram reply.
Sources said this was “considered a dismissive way to describe a fellow actress.”
In response, Disney had Zegler and Gadot do press separately. This “fueled the perception of a feud” between the two. At the premiere, Zegler sat two rows ahead of Gadot and her family.
One insider said Zegler “didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone.” Zegler also caused controversy by criticizing the original “Snow White” movie. She promised the remake would be better than the “dated” animated classic. Zegler’s political posts following the 2024 election prompted some Disney fans to vow to boycott the film.
Reports indicated that Disney “had had enough” of Zegler after a post about former President Trump. Despite the controversies, Zegler called the film “a life-changing experience.” She said she “became a real adult during the course” of making the movie. The film’s release finally materialized, with Zegler sharing numerous on-set photos, none featuring Gadot.
