Gal Gadot reflects on that controversial 'Imagine' video

Remember the early days of quarantine when everyone was watching Tiger King and having feelings about Gal Gadot recruiting her celebrity friends for a performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” on social media? Gadot sure does.In a new cover interview for Vanity Fair, the Wonder Woman star opened up about making that viral Instagram video in March. The post received criticism for being oblivious and patronizing in a time when millions of people were dealing with hardships associated with coronavirus and quarantine. “Sometimes, you know, you try and do a good deed and it’s just not the right good deed,” Gadot told interviewer Nancy Jo Sales. “I had nothing but good intentions and it came from the best place, and I just wanted to send light and love to the world.”For those who need a refresher, the video featured a mini Gadot monologue spouting philosophies on Day Six of quarantine. She then launched into the cover of “Imagine.” Throughout the three-minute video she was joined by a slew of celebs, from Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell to actual musicians like Nora Jones and Sia. Clearly no one knew that Day Six would still be quite early in terms of the isolation life, but considering how scared and desperate some people were feeling at that point, the voices of calm and hope they needed maybe weren’t off-key celebs.“I started with a few friends, and then I spoke to Kristen [Wiig],” Gadot added. “Kristen is like the mayor of Hollywood. Everyone loves her, and she brought a bunch of people to the game. But yeah, I started it, and I can only say that I meant to do something good and pure, and it didn’t transcend.”[video_embed id='5480140254001']RELATED: These are some of the highest paid superhero actors of all-time[/video_embed]That’s not the only thing Gadot has done recently that isn’t transcending with audiences. The interview didn’t really get to touch upon Gadot’s recent and even more controversial casting as Cleopatra, which some online have called out for being culturally insensitive. On October 12, the 35-year-old revealed she’s teaming with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins once again, this time to, “bring the story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, to the big screen in a way she’s never been seen before. To tell her story for the first time through women's eyes, both behind and in front of the camera.”Since Gadot was born and raised in Israel and and Cleopatra was an Egyptian ruler, many are considering her casting to be the latest in Hollywood white-washing. While her exact ancestry is somewhat contested, at points, Cleopatra has been thought to have Egyptian, African, Greek and Macedonian ancestry. The most widely agreed upon history is that she was born in Egypt to a family from Macedonian Greece.

Sorry, not sorry... casting @GalGadot as Cleopatra is tone deaf and a poor casting choice ??. Do we even need another #Cleopatra movie ??♀️? Love you, but pls do better @PattyJenks

— Nichole Creary (@njcreary) October 13, 2020

Paramount pictures casting Gal gadot as cleopatra has the same energy as this pic.twitter.com/ax2PikP9yY

— izzy✨ (@selsringz) October 11, 2020

While some were understandably upset at the casting, others defended the choice, citing Cleopatra's Greek/Macedonian ancestry and Gal Gadot's own minority identity.

Cleopatra was greek/macedonian ancestry

Gal Gadot is Ashkenazi JewishWhat does that mean?1. Cleopatra wasnt Egypcian or black2. Gal Gadot is a minority3. Most users on this app never read any history book and it showsGood luck to Gal and Patty Jenkins with this project ? pic.twitter.com/L5gfpVyKnj— Wonder May ʬ⁸⁴ ? (@hero_laf) October 11, 2020

Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, was cast to play Cleopatra

Now we're finding out how many people didn't know that Cleopatra wasn't actually of Egyptian descent https://t.co/leuKzE1F6y— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) October 12, 2020

So far the only one who doesn’t seem to have any further thoughts on the casting is Gadot herself. The Cleopatra news broke after she was interviewed for the Vanity Fair article, so the interviewer couldn’t ask her for her take (they were unsuccessful in trying to reach her for comment before publication). But judging by how Gadot responded to a different question of how her unapologetic attitude translates in a glossy place like Hollywood, she’s probably just going to let people have their own thoughts.“Sometimes it can get me in trouble,” she said in the article. “There is something that I’ve learned to say, which is, ‘I don’t disagree with you, but’—so basically I’m disagreeing with you. So I adapted. I just came to the conclusion: I do me, you do you. I’d rather have you not liking me at this moment than not saying my truth.”Or perhaps she means singing it.[video_embed id='2021405']BEFORE YOU GO: Woman films creepy doll moving on its own[/video_embed]