Gal Gadot Won’t Take Back Controversial Tweet?
Gal Gadot is reportedly refusing to back down from a controversial social media post.
This article is more than 2 years old
Like balls of luminous plasma irradiating the night sky, stardom floods and wanes with the times. When you rise, everyone is your friend. But when you fall, you fall hard and life itself becomes your enemy. It’s interesting how far the wheel dips for people so beloved, they can’t possibly climb any higher, as is the case with former Hollywood sweetheart Gal Gadot. The 36-year-old is presently taking a beating on social media for her colored remarks on the developing military situation in Palestine.
The Israeli government sent airstrikes that leveled buildings and killed civilians in neighboring Gaza and Gal Gadot, an ex-Israel Defense Forces soldier, is taking fire for basically choosing a side in the ongoing conflict. Warner Bros. reportedly told its greatest star to stand down and rescind her earlier statements, and Gadot — fully determined to go down with her ship — refused to comply, claims celebrity insider Daniel Richtman.
Looks like Gal Gadot is taking her Wonder Woman mantle a little too seriously, and for all the wrong reasons. Unfortunately for the former Miss Israel, there are no takebacks where mob justice is concerned. Once the crowd’s been adequately provoked, consider yourself done. Think about it. Michael Jackson’s been off the market decades before cancel culture replaced good old-fashioned legal proceedings. Social media was still a glimmer in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye when tabloid media ended Lindsay Lohan. Stories, whether deliciously accurate or curiously unfounded, remain in the public subconscious across generations, through word of mouth and Darwinian fluctuations in culture. The stain left by stigma travels fast and often lingers.
But there are ways to cushion the blow and increase one’s chances of reconnecting with society. Acknowledge transgressions, renounce offending statements, and issue a public apology — in that order. It may not appease everybody, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Canceled celebrities who follow protocol still get points for showing remorse, accepting accountability, and trying to earn the public’s trust back, regardless of the purity of their intentions. Unfortunately, not everyone is keen on humbling down. They are either too proud to recognize when they’ve failed their audiences or too cynical to believe a simple apology would redeem the situation. Depending on the strength of her convictions, Gal Gadot could easily fall in either category.
Executives are losing sleep over Gal Gadot’s crumbling social media reputation, and why wouldn’t they? The DC Extended Universe is in shambles and Gadot has been carrying the weight of the franchise all by herself since she debuted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to widespread acclaim. Losing Zack Snyder dealt Warner Bros. a mortal blow and with Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman already primed to take their exit, Gal Gadot is all the studio’s got left. No wonder they’re panicking. Viewers are boycotting the DC Extended Universe more than ever, and Gadot’s controversial takes on Israel and Palestine aren’t helping boost Warner Bros.’s image in the least.
Not only that but Gal Gadot is largely marketed as a feminist icon, a squeaky-clean exemplar of all that is good and beautiful, empowering young girls everywhere. Everyone wanted to work with her, audiences of every generation looked up to her… You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t absolutely adore her. Posting a cryptic message on social media that just barely acknowledges Palestine — knowing she once partook in missions on behalf of the Israeli government — hardly does Gal Gadot any favors. Disabling her comments did little to pacify the Internet mob and only redirected criticism elsewhere. And going public about Joss Whedon’s on-set abuse only temporarily won her sympathy.
While Gal Gadot is certainly facing consequences from her erstwhile supporters, Hollywood itself hasn’t canceled her yet. She’s still Wonder Woman and a third installment featuring the Amazonian princess is still in the works. Her next two films, Red Notice and Death on the Nile, are largely unaffected and she’s still being considered for a part in Patty Jenkins’s Rogue Squadron and a Cleopatra movie. Red Notice, starring Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson, hits Netflix later this year. Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie adaptation Death on the Nile currently has a February 11, 2022 release date.
