Director Julian Schnabel has said that Gal Gadot should not be boycotted over her support for Israel.
Gadot stars in Schnabel’s new film In The Hand Of Dante alongside the likes of Oscar Isaac, Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, Al Pacino and Jason Momoa. The drama, based on Nick Tosches’ 2002 novel of the same name, debuted at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday (September 3).
Over 1,500 people – including figures from the film industry – had previously signed an open letter to the event’s organisers from Venice4Palestine (V4P), urging them to “to be more courageous and clear in condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza”.
The group also pushed for Gadot and co-star Butler to be uninvited from the festival due to their past backing of Israel and the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).
Speaking to reporters during a press conference on Wednesday, Schnabel shared his stance on the situation. “I think there’s no reason to boycott artists,” he explained (via Metro).
“I selected those actors for their merits as actors – and they’ve done an extraordinary job in the film – and that’s about it. I think we should talk about the movie rather than this issue.”
According to the report, neither Gadot nor Butler had their invitations revoked. However, the two actors have not been spotted on the Lido island – where the Venice Film Festival is held.
Festival boss Alberto Barbera said at a press conference: “The position of the [Venice] Biennale is on the one hand we are an Italian cultural institution, a place of openness and debate that does not censor anybody.
“We’ve been asked to turn down invitations to artists – we will not do that, if they want to be here they will be here.”
He continued: “On the other hand, we have never hesitated to clearly declare our huge sadness and suffering vis-à-vis what is happening in Gaza and Palestine.”
Barbera went on to say that “the death of civilians and especially children who are victims – they are the collateral damage of a war nobody has been able to terminate yet”.
He added: “There are no doubts as regards the position of the Biennale on this. That is all I will say.”
Gal Gadot recently claimed that the “pressure” to “speak out” against Israel led to Snow White flopping at the box office.
She said she was willing to “always explain and try to give people in the world context about what’s happening and what the reality is here, but in the end, people decide for themselves”.
The Disney live-action version of Snow White saw Gadot play the Evil Queen, and was mired in controversy for much of the lead-up to its release earlier this year. Gadot’s vocal support of Israel drew significant criticism.
The Wonder Woman actor served as part of the IDF in the ‘00s, and has been outspoken in defending its actions, previously saying her “conscience was clean” because she “felt like I had to advocate for the hostages”.
