2020 was an unforgettable year for many reasons. There was the (still ongoing) global pandemic, the film and TV industry was at a standstill, and celebrities took to their phones to communicate with fans – you know, like that infamous ‘Imagine’ sing-along video that everyone hated? Well, two years later, and the DCEU star Gal Gadot has finally admitted that her ‘Imagine’ clip may have been a tad bit tone death at the time.
If you are unfamiliar with Gadot’s ‘Imagine’ video, the clip was posted on the star’s Instagram back in 2020. In it, Gal Gadot, along with several other celebrities, including Jimmy Fallon, Natalie Portman, Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Amy Adams, Mark Ruffalo, Will Ferrell, and more, sing a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. Criticism for the clip arose as many claimed it to feel condescending, attention-seeking, and an unaware display of privilege during a time when millions lost their jobs and livelihood.
The clip was also seen as shallow compared to other celebrity efforts during the pandemic, such as Ryan Reynolds donating $1 million to low-income families. Gadot has since told InStyle that her video was in poor taste and premature – but maintained that her intentions behind her original post were pure.
“And with the whole ‘Imagine’ controversy, it’s funny. I was calling Kristen [Wiig], and I was like, ‘Listen, I want to do this thing.’ The pandemic was in Europe and Israel before it came here [to the U.S.] in the same way. I was seeing where everything was headed. But [the video] was premature,” Gadot said. “It wasn’t the right timing, and it wasn’t the right thing. It was in poor taste. All pure intentions, but sometimes you don’t hit the bulls-eye, right?”
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Since the clip controversy, Gadot has faced little pushback in her career. The star recently appeared in Red Notice alongside Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson, and is set to star as the Evil Queen in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Snow White.
However, people are still dealing with the effects of Covid-19, and the lack of awareness demonstrated by celebrities shouldn’t be classed as “funny”, to say the least. The TV and movie industry is slowly finding normality, but the pandemic has hit hard and highlighted the ongoing issues with class divide.