She Was Wonder Woman—Now She’s Left Us Wondering When She Became A Bad Actress

You probably remember the day the Internet turned against Gal Gadot. Buried under two feet of Cheeto dust, halfway through a marathon of Love is Blind, you innocently opened Instagram to “take a break” from Jessica’s baby voice, only to be immediately assailed by a blackhead-free Gal Gadot caterwauling about global equality from the comfort of her $5 million mansion that definitely had toilet paper. 

Gadot has rubbed a few people the wrong way since then – to say the least – but that was the day things changed for her. By underscoring the emptiness of celebrity social media campaigns, she emphasized just how unequal the pandemic – and the world at large – had become.

But when did she also become a bad actress? Even before Disney’s live action Snow White hit theaters, Gadot was getting slammed on Reddit for her overacting in the film’s trailer. Of course, by that point, YouTube videos of her line readings in Wonder Woman 1984, Justice League, and Death on the Nile had already made the rounds, turning “Kal-El No” into an inside joke among snarky cinephiles. Still, Gadot had maintained at least some goodwill from her days as Wonder Woman. The memory of her stoic, impassive face sailing through No Man’s Land in Wonder Woman could still evoke chills. That is, until Snow White recently arrived at the box office, causing the Internet to explode in articles excoriating her performance. Officially, Gadot has become bad at her job of being an actress.

Gadot had a promising star turn in Wonder Woman. Her limited emoting lent a naive quality to her interpretation of the character, causing the demigoddess to become a heroine worth rooting for. But even as Gadot took on additional projects such as Death on the Nile and Red Notice, her beauty and natural charisma were enough to lend her characters an additional sheen. Any stilted acting went ignored or unnoticed by most audiences. Naturally, the Gadot haters had already begun operating in the background, picking out her least humanlike line readings and spinning them into fan art. And yet, they remained in the background. 

However, a complex role like the Evil Queen in Snow White demands a certain level of skill to elevate the character. An actress interpreting this character can’t just play “cartoonishly evil but also beautiful” and then call it a day. Yes, the character is defined by her beauty, but her actions aren’t. That’s where character motivations come in. To find success in such a role, an actress must determine what’s driving the Evil Queen in every scene – something besides “inherent evilness.” And yet, Gadot plays the role by simply lowering her voice, arching her eyebrow, and clacking her nails with menace. It’s campy and entertaining, for sure, but Snow White is not meant to be campy. If that were the case, then Rachel Zegler – the best part of the movie – wouldn’t have infused her titular heroine with such earnest, wide-eyed wonder. 

Basically, Snow White is giving Gal Gadot’s flaws as a performer their biggest platform yet. It’s now clear to everyone that she’s great when playing herself, but less successful when inhabiting characters outside her realm of experience. Character actress, she is not. And that’s OK! Plenty of stars aren’t chameleons in that way. (See: The Rock, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves.) But the Snow White debacle has allowed the Internet-wide Gadot hate to finally go mainstream. 

On the other hand, Gadot could really excel in purposely campy roles. Think: Austin Powers. Cabin in the Woods. Clue. Wet Hot American Summer. Just stick her in a movie similar to these and give her a series of absurd lines. She could even get an Oscar nomination. Exhibit A: Her big singing moment, “All is Fair,” in Snow White. She overacts! She flings her arms out wildly! She swishes her hip like Honey Boo Boo on Go-Go Juice! But she is also having a great time, which is infectious. That’s the perfect recipe for camp success.

Honestly, I would be all for a second act of Gal Gadot as a camp queen belting out lyrically and thematically murky songs while mugging for the camera. One day, viewers will get tired of generic Netflix action movies like Red Notice, another genre in which the physically imposing Gadot excels, and Gadot will need something to fall back on. Let Snow White be her audition tape. She’ll just have to pick up her Razzie first.