For those unaware, it was revealed through Jonah Platt that his father had met with Zegler over a now-deleted Post during the promotion of Snow White about Palestine. The Post, while harmless enough, overtook the conversation about the movie, and Platt felt it was hurting its box-office potential. I don’t know how true that is, given the end-result, but there’s no doubt Disney felt a need for damage control. And, obviously, people weren’t happy. That’s everything in a nutshell.
Allow me to clear some misconceptions. Firstly, Platt did nothing wrong by talking with Zegler privately. Whether or not he needed to fly halfway across The US is another story, especially when an email would’ve sufficed, but being an investor on the movie meant he had a say on its perception. I’ve touted before that celebrities are allowed opinions, but they’re also representatives on movies they act for and need to not set “a bad example”. This might sound like moralizing, but I’ve gotten in trouble for posting far worse than Zegler. And I’m not a movie star!
Secondly, what Zegler said wasn’t the issue. Celebrities make political statements constantly, and many are ones I disagree with. Zegler’s Post might’ve been innocent, but she shouldn’t have posted it alongside an unrelated trailer. If Zegler was so insistent on making a political statement, she could’ve done it somewhere else. Because Disney, for better or worse, are anal about their reputation. If they fired Gina Carano (deservedly) and James Gunn (undeservedly) over inappropriate social media posts, then this shouldn’t be surprising.
Thirdly, Zegler doesn’t deserves harsh criticism for her Post. Was it the wrong place? Perhaps, though I’ve seen much worse from other celebrities. But it wasn’t that offensive. All she said was “#FreePalestine”. She didn’t criticize Israelis, she didn’t say anything overtly-charged, she wrote a generic statement that many have already written. Plus, she’s young. She’s not experienced enough to know when to bite her tongue, and she deserves to learn and grow as an actress. So while she might’ve messed up here, it’s not that big a deal.
Fourthly, Jonah Platt needs to be left alone. Arguably the most insulting headline about this incident came from Cosmic Marvel:
Fourthly, Jonah Platt needs to be left alone. Arguably the most insulting headline about this incident came from Cosmic Marvel:
“Nepo baby and failed actor Jonah Platt responds to reports that his dad, Marc Platt, traveled to New York to convince Rachel Zegler to delete her tweet supporting Palestine:”
How’s this remotely-relevant? I get that Jonah Platt’s the son of producer Marc Platt, but being a “nepo baby” is a red herring. And “failed actor” does unnecessary heavy lifting for something that doesn’t correlate to this. Ignoring the New York flight, neither point’s important. I’m sorry for flogging a dead horse, but this is Pop Tingz-levels of journalistic malpractice. All that’s missing is “Zionist” in the headline. Did no one look over the Bluesky Post before publishing it?!
And fifthly, I have a suspicion that Platt was singled out because he’s Jewish. Like Gal Gadot, he’s been outspoken about Antisemitism and his Judaism for months, which has made many people unhappy. By dragging him into this controversy, silly or not, Platt’s become a target for hate remarks. As with Zegler being the “virtuous heroine”, Platt’s “the monstrous villain” here. It’s a reductive binary that isn’t necessary, especially when Antisemitism’s at an all-time high.
I don’t want to dismiss legitimate frustrations, however. While Zegler’s Post could’ve been better-timed, and Marc Platt could’ve emailed her in private, the fallout has overshadowed the movie in question. Additionally, many have gotten in trouble for their thoughts on the war, for understandable and nonsensical reasons. It’s a heavy and sensitive topic that requires a respectful conversation, and the online world isn’t the place for it.
It's timely to have this conversation given both Israelis and Gazans are fed up. For the former, tens of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets to decry Netanyahu weekly. And for the latter, there’s been an uptick in protests over Hamas’s leadership. People are tired and want something else, and this deserves to be spotlighted. I wish more activists over here were up to that…
I don’t want to dismiss legitimate frustrations, however. While Zegler’s Post could’ve been better-timed, and Marc Platt could’ve emailed her in private, the fallout has overshadowed the movie in question. Additionally, many have gotten in trouble for their thoughts on the war, for understandable and nonsensical reasons. It’s a heavy and sensitive topic that requires a respectful conversation, and the online world isn’t the place for it.
It's timely to have this conversation given both Israelis and Gazans are fed up. For the former, tens of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets to decry Netanyahu weekly. And for the latter, there’s been an uptick in protests over Hamas’s leadership. People are tired and want something else, and this deserves to be spotlighted. I wish more activists over here were up to that…
In the end, it isn’t worth drawing out a controversy that’s caused people to spill more ink on than the actual movie. I had no hopes for Snow White. Like most Disney remakes, it looks like an overly-faithful, yet uninspired retelling of a classic movie. The 1937 original might be “old”, but it holds up! By allowing this controversy to suck up more space than shamelessly capitalizing on nostalgia, this more-pressing conversation’s getting ignored. It’s unhealthy for the industry at large, and it’s time to change that. Don’t we deserve better?
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