By Kayla DeKraker
The new live-action SNOW WHITE has been banned in Lebanon due to the presence of Israeli actress Gal Gadot, marking another controversy attached to the movie.
Lebanon has boycotted the actress due to her Israeli heritage and support of the country amid the ongoing war. Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen in the movie, was born in Israel and was also a member of the Israel Defense Forces.
The Lebanon newspaper An-Nahar said that Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar proposed the ban against the actress and her films.
Gabot has been very vocal condemning the events of Oct. 7, 2023, on her social media. She previously said, “Never did I imagine that on the streets of the United States, and different cities around the world, we would see people not condemning Hamas, but celebrating, justifying and cheering on a massacre of Jews.”
This past March, Gadot received an award from the Anti-Defamation League for her work in standing up for the Jewish people and standing against antisemitism.
In a post to Instagram, she shared, “Deeply honored to receive this award from the ADL. This moment is about all of us standing together, proud, strong, and refusing to be silent in the face of antisemitism. October 7 was a wake-up call, but it also reminded us of our resilience and unbreakable bond.”
She concluded by encouraging people to love on another.
“We must continue to educate, share our stories, and stand up against hate—because love will always be stronger.🎗️”
In addition to the ban in Lebanon because of Gadot, the new SNOW WHITE film has made waves of controversy in the United States.
Although there are several controversies surrounding the film, possibly the biggest one is star Rachel Zegler’s alleged attempt to make the film “woke.”
She previously said in a statement, “I just mean that it’s no longer 1937. [Snow White’s] not going out to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to go dreaming about true love.” She added that major changes would be made from the original animated movie: “She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her she could be if she was fearless, brave and true.”
Movieguide®’s review of the film reads, “It changes the beginning, deletes two major songs and adds some characters, songs and details” but notes that the rest of the story line is similar to the original classic. Movieguide® also explains that “in the new movie, Snow White gets her name because she was born during a blizzard to a young king and queen” but adds that “The new SNOW WHITE, despite some nods to feminism, doesn’t seem all that woke. It seems more conservative than woke, more pro-biblical than anti-biblical.”
Regardless of where you stand on SNOW WHITE, Gal Gadot and the controversies surrounding both, the film’s ban in Lebanon certainly doesn’t help its already struggling box office.
Read Next: Why Gal Gadot Advocates for Israel: ‘I Want to Bring Hope’
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