Rachel Zegler Unfollows Gal Gadot Amid Snow White Tensions

Rachel Zegler has unfollowed her Snow White co-star Gal Gadot on Instagram following clashes over their political views, according to multiple media reports.

While the Evita actress, 24, has seemingly chosen to unfollow Gal’s feed on the social media platform, at the time of publication Gal was still following Rachel. 

The clash between the two A-listers is thought to have been sparked by their opposing opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

While Gal previously insisted she had ‘fun’ on the set of the Disney live action remake with Rachel, this latest move suggests relations are less than harmonious.

Gal, 40, has publicly supported Israel’s right to exist as a safe nation, condemned Hamas’s actions, and advocated for the hostages taken in October 2023.

Meanwhile, Rachel has posted public messages of support to Palestine, most notably writing ‘Free Palestine’ in a caption promoting the Snow White trailer.

Mounting talk of tension between the pair on the promo trail for the film was reported and seemingly confirmed by their awkward joint Oscars presentation.

Pro-Palestine protesters were recently ordered to stay away from Gal when she films in London after allegedly disrupting filming on a movie shoot.

Eight were charged under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 after reportedly interrupting filming on the set of her new movie, The Runner.

The legislation prevents individuals blocking access to workplaces and was originally created in a bid to tackle unruly picket lines during strikes.

It comes as shoots for the movie featuring the Israeli actress in Westminster and Camden, as well as other locations, were disrupted over multiple days in May.

Protests included demonstrators wearing Palestinian keffiyehs who reportedly banged on metal saucepans lids on Waterloo Bridge.

Gal, who served in the IDF, voiced her support of Israel after the proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas attacked her native country on October 7, 2023 and took the lives of 1200 people, mostly Israeli citizens, and took more than 240 hostage.

Gadot has asked for peace between Israel and ‘our neighbours,’ calling for an end to hostilities and coexistence.

Rachel has received her own backlash for her stance on the divide. 

It was reported that Marc E Platt, one of Snow White’s producers, paid a visit to Rachel to ‘reprimand’ her for including her political views in a post about the film. 

Marc’s son said this happened over Rachel’s Instagram caption and also when in response to Trump’s re-election in 2020 she said she wished the President’s  supporters ‘never know peace.’

Other celebrities have faced repercussions for vocalizing their support of Palestine, most notably Melissa Barrera, who was fired from Scream 7 for some social media posts supporting Palestine that were considered hateful.

Following the series of scandals and PR nightmares that beset the Snow White remake, Disney scaled back the planned lavish premieres to a ‘handful’ of tightly controlled press events. 

Instead of a vast array of press, which would be expected for a big-budget Disney film, the only interviewers the cast faced were employed by Disney, such as Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the studio’s 1989 animation The Little Mermaid.

During the Los Angeles screening in March, Rachel did briefly address the backlash that has surrounded the film, which has been branded woke over fears it has prioritised its messaging over authentic storytelling. 

Speaking about the reaction she’s had as the movie’s young star, Rachel explained she interprets people’s feelings about it as ‘their passion for’ the character.

She said: ‘What an honor to be a part of something for which people feel so much passion. We’re not always going to have the same sentiments as those around us and all that we can do is give the best of ourselves.’

And while she and Gal, who stars as the Evil Queen, painted on smiles to pose for snaps together, fans were quick to spot the tension between them, amid claims of a feud behind the scenes.

One person on X observed, ‘Those are some bad, fake, forced smiles; none of the smiles are reaching their eyes.’

Another agreed, adding, ‘Guarantee the smiles dropped as soon as they were done with the picture.’

In reference to a photo featuring producer Marc between the two actresses, someone commented, ‘He’s holding them back like two wild beasts trying to kill each other.’

Another person shared a photo of enemies feigning camaraderie while wielding weapons behind their backs, comparing the image to Rachel and Gal.