Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot on Sunday met the families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas amid calls for a hostage deal and an end to the Gaza war.
A video of Gadot’s meeting with the families at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv shows the 40-year-old actress embracing the kin of the hostages. She also met Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of Omri Miran, one of the 50 hostages still held captive in Gaza.
Gadot’s visit coincided with ‘Israel on Hold Day’, a nationwide protest organised by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. On Sunday, family members of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza staged a protest, urging the government to prioritise negotiations for the release of those held during the Hamas-led attack.
Earlier, during an interview with Israeli-based media Channel 12, Gal Gadot blamed the “pressure on celebrities to speak out against Israel” as the primary reason that “affected” her latest film Snow White’s box office collection.
Gadot’s co-star Rachel Zegler, who played the character Snow White in the film, has been a supporter of Palestine and Gaza. On the other hand, Gadot earlier served as a combat fitness instructor in the Israeli Defence Forces for two years as part of her mandatory conscription.
“And then October 7 happened, and what’s happening in all kinds of industries, and also in Hollywood, is that there’s a lot of pressure on celebrities to speak out against Israel,” said Gadot during the interview.
She added, “(I) can always explain and try to give people in the world context about what’s happening and what the reality is here, but in the end, people decide for themselves. I was disappointed that the movie was greatly affected by that and didn’t do well at the box office.”
However, following the interview, the actress faced criticism online. “Gal Gadot claims that her Snow White film failed due to anti-Israeli sentiments. It's true, the whole world is repulsed today by this genocidal state you defend, but if you flopped, it's also (and mostly) because you're a terrible actress,” an X user wrote.
Another post read, “Gal Gadot’s acting is just really bad. It’s not because of Israel or whatever; sometimes you just have to admit it. Yes, maybe that has a bit of an impact. But still, in other movies where Israelis acted, it didn’t flop.”
Later, the actress took to her Instagram story to share a note explaining her comments about perceived anti-Israeli sentiment in Hollywood as the potential reason for Snow White’s box office disappointment.
The actress added that she has often been perceived as an Israeli first and an actress second, which was the perspective she spoke from when answering the question.
“They saw me first and foremost as an Israeli, not as an actress. That's the perspective I spoke from when I answered the question. Of course, the film didn't fail solely because of external pressures. There are many factors that determine why a film succeeds or fails, and success is never guaranteed,” Gadot wrote on Instagram.
Disney’s Snow White, made on a budget of over USD 250 million, generated only about USD 200 million globally, resulting in significant financial losses for the studio.