The son of a “Snow White” producer accused the film’s star, Rachel Zegler, of being “immature” and hurting the film’s box office success with her “free Palestine” comment.
Jonah Platt Criticizes Rachel Zegler
Back in August 2024, Zegler thanked “Snow White” supporters on an X post for the film’s first trailer getting to 120 million views in 24 hours. At the end of the thread, she posted, “and always remember, free palestine.”
The post became one of many controversies surrounding the film and Zegler specifically, which all began when the actress was cast and some took issue with her Colombian heritage. Zegler also faced backlash for criticizing the original animated “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
The “free Palestine” post was seen as especially inflammatory given Israeli co-star Gal Gadot’s staunch support of Israel.
According to Variety, Disney expressed concerns about Zegler’s post and “Snow White” producer Marc Platt flew to New York to speak with her, begging her to remove the post. She refused.
Platt’s son, Jonah Platt, waded into the controversy this week when he defended his father’s actions. Platt responded to a comment that called Marc Platt “creepy” and said him trying to have Zegler take down the post was “uncalled for.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Platt’s now-deleted response stated:
You really want to do this? Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for.
This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office. Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions. Tens of thousands of people worked on that film and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.
Disney and representatives for both Platts did not immediately respond to THR’s request for comment.
Zegler isn’t the only reason “Snow White” faced controversy. Live-action Disney remakes already face heavy scrutiny from the get-go. There were calls to boycott the film because of Gadot’s pro-Israel views. And after Peter Dinklage criticized the Seven Dwarfs, Disney seemed to flip-flop regarding how they would be included, initially saying they would take a “different approach,” then seemingly replacing them with a group of magical characters, before deciding to include them via CGI. Fans were also displeased with Prince Charming being replaced with a different male character.
The live-action “Snow White” remake fell below opening weekend box office expectations. According to Box Office Mojo, the film has grossed just under $49 million domestically so far — less than its opening weekend projections. Reviews are middle of the road, but Zegler’s performance has been praised as one of the best parts of the film. “Snow White” currently holds a 42% from critics but a 74% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Read our review of “Snow White.”
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