Snow White has been banned from the country of Lebanon due to the inclusion of Gal Gadot, according to Variety. Local media reports indicate the ban was ordered by Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar at the recommendation of the country’s film and media watchdog. News of the Snow White ban comes amid the United Nations’ report that 71 Lebanese civilians have been killed by Israeli forces since a ceasefire was declared in November (via Al Jazeera). Gadot, a self-described “eighth generation Israeli,” is a former Miss Israel who served in the Israel Defense Forces in the early 2000s.
Though blocking Snow White comes amid renewed hostilities between the countries, the ban itself is nothing new. A representative from Italia Films, the Beirut-based Middle East distributor which handles Disney releases, told Variety that Gadot “has long been on Lebanon’s ‘Israel boycott list’ and that no movie in which she stars has ever been released in the country.” Indeed, the ban stretches as far back as Gadot’s first headlining role in 2017’s Wonder Woman. (Her previous appearances in the Fast & Furious franchise did screen in Lebanon, per The Guardian.) Lebanon also recently banned the release of Captain America: Brave New World due to the inclusion of Israeli actor Shira Haas, who played an Israeli ex-Black Widow in the film (not Israeli superhero Sabra, as was originally intended).
While Israel’s actions in the Middle East have caused ongoing divide and debate in the entertainment industry, Snow White in particular has become a strange sort of proxy conflict. Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, has been an outspoken advocate for her country in the wake of the October 7 attacks. Meanwhile, her co-star Rachel Zegler (who plays the titular princess) has advocated for the rights of Palestinians. Zegler came under fire after posting “free Palestine” on Twitter/X amid promotion for Snow White; she was reportedly reprimanded by the film’s producer Marc Platt, another of Hollywood’s most prominent advocates for Israel.
