What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Snow White? It probably goes something like, “mirror, mirror…,” right? Sure, a fair maiden with pure motives and crew of dwarf pals is worthy of adulation, but it’s actually the Evil Queen—with her absurdly elongated, spell-casting nails and obsession with eternal vanity—who gives the fairytale its meme-worthy resonance in today’s postmodern Internet era. 

Enter the 2025 live-action reimagining of the 1937 animated classic, starring Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the latest bad girl to join the Disney villain canon. Gadot’s Evil Queen is darker, sharper, and a little campier. “She’s super theatrical and grand. You know it, and she knows it. We really took her to the next level,” Gadot tells me.

“She’s super theatrical and grand. You know it, and she knows it. We really took her to the next level,”

When I reach the Israeli actress at her home in Los Angeles, she’s briefly in repose, sipping her morning coffee in UGG slippers before the rush of her day begins. Like any mother of four young girls, Gadot rarely stops moving. But unlike any mother of four young girls, she’s also juggling three films—one she’s just about to start shooting (a gripping thriller called The Runner), one she’s about to start promoting (Hand of Dante, a Julian Schnabel-directed mob drama co-starring Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Jason Momoa, Gerard Butler and Oscar Isaac) and one that has thrust her into the spotlight of the Disney cinematic universe. “I feel like I’m in constant ‘on’ mode, but it’s amazing,” she tells me. 

I greet her in my best Hebrew, which has become something of a running joke with my family, who poke fun at how rusty it’s gotten over the years. Not Gadot, though—she’s amped. “Oh my god, that’s amazing!” she says as I stumble through it. Her warmth radiates through the phone. 

This down-to-earth, family-oriented side of Gadot stands in striking contrast to the journey that propelled her to stardom. After winning a beauty pageant at 18—which led to a string of modeling gigs—Gadot moved to the U.S. in 2008 to pursue a career in law. But then came an unexpected twist: a casting director searching for the next Bond girl noticed her striking presence and action-ready skills. She didn’t get the part, but the audition put her on Hollywood’s radar. Soon after, she was cast as the fearless Gisele Yashar in 2009’s Fast & Furious, a role that ultimately paved the way for her entry into the DC Universe as Diana Prince, first as a character in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and then as the lead in 2017’s landmark, Wonder Woman, and its 2020 sequel, Wonder Woman 1984.  

Gadot’s latest role in Snow White is an exhilarating departure. “I’m used to playing the heroes. They always do the right thing, they always live by the right values,” she says. To prepare for the role, Gadot dove into Evil Queen psychology and even found university courses devoted to the jealousy-riddled mother-daughter dynamic between her and Snow White. “I tried to find a way to portray her not as a plainly evil person, but to actually find the humanity in her. She’s insecure and threatened,” she says. “When I played her, I actually believed she was doing the right thing, even though we all know she doesn’t.” 

But back to Wonder Woman—the first big-budget superhero film both female-led and directed by a woman (Patty Jenkins), and one so successful it didn’t just break records; it rewrote the playbook. With $822 million at the box office, it proved audiences were more than ready for a female-driven action epic. “To see such a strong woman that is capable of so many things but also has the compassion, empathy, and warmth that we as women have within us, is something that we all needed,” she says. “I was the lucky one that got to wear the boots, but it’s actually not about me, it’s about everything this character stands for.”

Off-screen, Gadot has been a vocal advocate for feminist causes such as the #MeToo movement, the fight for gender parity and reproductive rights. In December, Gadot shared her near-death experience from earlier in the year during her fourth pregnancy on Instagram. In her eighth month, after weeks of excruciating headaches left unchecked by her doctors, she was diagnosed with a massive brain blood clot and underwent emergency surgery. Unsure she’d survive, she named her daughter Ori, meaning “my light,” hoping the baby would be her light at the end of the tunnel.

Thankfully, Gadot recovered and went public to raise awareness of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis, which affects three in 100,000 pregnant women over 30, yet is scarcely talked about. Women flooded her DMs with similar experiences, many of whom also had trouble accessing the care they needed. “It took me time to be ready to share what I [had] been through, and at a time when there are so many tragedies and so many people are going through hardships, I didn’t want people to think I was feeling sorry for myself,” she says. Instead, it was about pulling back the curtain on issues that women experience every day. “In Hebrew you say that if you save one soul, you save the whole world,” she says, resolute on spreading the word and encouraging others to advocate for their own health. 

Meet Our Spring Cover Star: Gal Gadot

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“It’s such a cliché, but age is just a number. The more time I spend on earth, the more I trust myself, and the more I feel good about myself.”

Amidst her advocacy, Gadot has also been reflecting on her own personal journey. As she turns 40 this spring, she feels a deep sense of gratitude and growth after a challenging year. “It could be because of the year I’ve been through, [but] I’m feeling grateful for all that I have, for being healthy, and for having the family that I have,” she says. “It’s such a cliché, but age is just a number. The more time I spend on earth, the more I trust myself, and the more I feel good about myself.” Maybe it’s perspective that is, indeed, the fairest of them all.

Photography by Celeste Sloman (Laird and Good Company)
Styling by Anna Su
Makeup by Jen Tioseco (A-Frame Agency)
Hair by Bridget Brager (The Wall Group)
Nails by Shigeko Taylor (for Apres Nails at Star Touch Agency)
Videographer: Aaron Butwinick (Hyperion LA)
Producer: Lauren Leyva (Hyperion LA)
Entertainment Editor: Elycia Rubin
Photo Assistant: Scott Turner
Stylist Assistant: Angie Martell
Tailor: Anna Telcs