Gal Gadot is pretty fun in Snow White as the Evil Queen, actually. The 2025 remake of Snow White updates a lot of elements of the animated classic for the modern era, including plenty of elements of the titular princess and her love interest. However, one member of the Snow White cast who feels directly reflective of the original film is Gal Gadot’s take on the Evil Queen. Despite having few villainous roles to her name, Gadot throws herself into the part. The performances in Snow White are the film’s best aspect, with Rachel Zegler as the clear stand-out.

However, Gal Gadot’s turn as the Evil Queen has not been as widely acclaimed. She’s been heavily criticized for her performance, including the overall quality of Snow White‘s new song “All Is Fair.” Despite the consensus forming against Gadot’s work in the live-action remake with her first villain role, it’s not entirely fair. She plays the character from bombastic highs to some surprisingly subtle touches during her best scene in the film. As a result, I really liked Gal Gadot’s turn as the Evil Queen in Snow White.

Gal Gadot Is A Lot Of Fun As The Evil Queen In Snow White

Snow White Lets Gal Gadot Go Big, But Her Best Moments Are Surprisingly Quiet

Despite not having much experience playing villains before taking on the role of the Evil Queen in Snow White, Gal Gadot’s best moments in the film suggest she might have potential playing antagonists. While Gal Gadot is best known for her heroic roles, the Evil Queen is an archetypical villain that the actor leans into with gusto. The Queen has a certain amount of presence that commands the attention in several scenes, such as her courtship of the Good King or the final confrontation with Snow.

There’s a scene early in Snow White that underscores this element of the performance, where she speaks with Snow White while eating. She punctuates each statement by cracking shellfish, silently judging Snow for her optimistic perspective of the world at large. It’s one of the more character-driven scenes in the film, with no CGI dwarfs or lackluster musical numbers to distract from the performances. Gadot is good in this scene especially, foreboding and intimidating towards Snow without losing that self-aware touch that brings just enough levity to keep the Queen from feeling out place.

The Evil Queen Forces Gal Gadot Out Of Her Comfort Zone

Gal Gadot Gets A Rare Non-Hero Role In Snow White

Gal Gadot was working consistently before her breakout role as Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe. Since then, Gadot has cemented her place in Hollywood as an action star, taking her experience from The Fast and the Furious franchise to separate vehicles like Heart of Stone and Red Notice. This reliance on a certain kind of role and lack of character range has led to some of the criticism pointed towards Gadot by audiences, which made her casting as the Queen all the more surprising. Gadot doesn’t give the Evil Queen an action make-over and plays her relatively straight.

She embraces the big theatrical elements of the character, especially during her musical number “All is Fair.” While the song can’t compete with many other Disney musical mainstays, Gadot gives it an admirable go. She leans into the darker aspects of the character when she transforms into the Hag, with her murderous but silent glee at Snow falling for her trap giving her a genuine sense of menace. Gadot stepped out of her comfort zone by playing the vain and cruel Evil Queen as big as possible, and it largely works.

Gal Gadot Needs To Play More Overt Villains

More Movies Should Combine Gadot’s Action Skills With Her Villainous Potential

Image via Disney

Gal Gadot’s best moments in Snow White indicate that she has some good villainous performances in her, suggesting that she should flex her creative wings and take on those kinds of roles more often. Gadot could play the big arch villain similar to her bombastic performance as the Evil Queen. Coupled with her experience in action films like Wonder Woman, this suggests that Gadot could be a compelling villain in a big blockbuster movie opposite a new hero.

Given the right on-screen collaborators and a story that plays to her strengths, Gal Gadot could be a lot of fun in a villainous role that builds on the potential she shows as the Evil Queen in Snow White. The more interesting approach could be to replicate the kind of chemistry Gadot found with her co-star Rachel Zegler, using minor physicality and glances to communicate a wealth of darker intentions and attributes. It would definitely help expand her acting repertoire and push her beyond the action type-casting she’s often perceived of suffering from. Given the right on-screen collaborators and a story that plays to her strengths, Gal Gadot could be a lot of fun in a villainous role that builds on the potential she shows as the Evil Queen in Snow White.