Jonah Platt, the eldest son of ‘Snow White’ producer Marc Platt, has publicly criticised lead actor Rachel Zegler, blaming her political remarks for the film’s disappointing box office performance.
According to ‘Variety’, Disney had asked Marc Platt—who has produced films like ‘La La Land’ and ‘Cruella’—to fly to New York in August to request that Zegler delete her “Free Palestine” comment, which she had posted alongside the release of the ‘Snow White’ trailer. In addition to this controversy, Zegler’s past remarks about former U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters allegedly contributed to the film’s struggles.
Following this, a social media user called out Jonah Platt, questioning his father’s involvement: “Your dad flew to NYC to reprimand a young actress? Any words on this? Cuz that’s creepy as hell and uncalled for. People have the right to free speech no? Shame on your father.”
Jonah fired back, defending his father’s actions. “You really want to do this? Yeah, my dad, the producer of the 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 publicly for (sic).”
He further dismissed the free speech argument, stating: “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 her colleagues and crew and blue-collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged (sic).”
Meanwhile, Zegler’s comments led Disney to reportedly increase security for Gal Gadot and her four children following a surge in threats against the Israeli actor. Additionally, Disney brought in a social media expert to review Zegler’s posts before the film’s official release.
Snow White hit theatres on March 21, 2025.