Gal Gadot is trading her primary color, comic book heroism, for something a little bit darker.
Fans got their first glimpse of the Wonder Woman actress, 39, in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Snow White at the D23 expo on Friday, August 9. Gadot plays the Evil Queen, who conspires against the titular Disney princess in a bid to be the fairest woman in the land.
The teaser trailer showcases Gadot’s reading of the iconic question the queen asks her magic mirror, plus a first listen to her maniacal laugh. Gadot told fans at the event that she enjoyed the opportunity to play a villain.
“It was a lot of fun to get to do something completely different than anything I’ve ever done before,” she said, per Entertainment Weekly. “She’s delicious, she’s evil, she’s magical, I got to sing all these different songs — it was incredible.”
Gadot surprised fans earlier this year, welcoming baby No. 4 with husband Jaron Varsano.
“My sweet girl, welcome. The pregnancy was not easy and we made it through,” she shared on Instagram in March. “You have brought so much light into our lives, living up to your name, Ori, which means ‘my light’ in Hebrew. Our hearts are full of gratitude.”
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As with other Disney live-action remakes, Snow White looks short on risks. Much of the character design and costuming comes straight from the original version, and Gadot’s Evil Queen is no exception. A reverence for Snow White overall is to be expected, as it was the film that made Disney Disney.
The 1937 animated film was the studio’s first attempt at a feature-length project. It was an instant smash, setting a record for animated films at the box office that stood for more than half a century. Adjusted for inflation, its box office take of $1.9 billion is still the largest in history for an animated film, edging out the 2019 Lion King remake by a comfortable margin of nearly $300 million.
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However, the remake immediately drew criticism from Hollywood’s A-list. Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage slammed the remake on an episode of “WTF With Marc Maron” in 2022.
Gal Gadot Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
“Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” he said. “You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f–king backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together — what the f–k are you doing, man?”
Disney responded to Dinklage, saying they had “been consulting with members of the dwarfism community” prior to starting work on the film. (Dinklage has dwarfism and famously portrays a dwarf, Tyrion Lannister, on Thrones.)
Snow White is scheduled to hit theaters on March 21, 2025.
