Gal Gadot Says Her ‘Imagine’ Cover Was in ‘Poor Taste’
Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot has expressed regret over her viral 2020 rendition of John Lennon’s "Imagine," which social media users decried as "tone-deaf."
The actress said she's never been shy about using her voice but admitted the "Imagine" video, released near the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, might have been "premature."
As the pandemic hit the U.S. in March 2020, Gadot said she called comedian Kristen Wiig, wanting to do something. "The pandemic was in Europe and Israel before it came here [to the U.S.] in the same way," the Israeli actress told InStyle. "I was seeing where everything was headed. But [the video] was premature. It wasn't the right timing, and it wasn't the right thing. It was in poor taste."
Gadot posted the video on March 18, 2020, after six days in self-quarantine. Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman, Jimmy Fallon and several other celebrities contributed. "All pure intentions, but sometimes you don't hit the bull's-eye, right?" Gadot noted.
You can watch the video below.
Gadot later poked fun at herself by singing "Imagine" while accepting an award at the Elle Women in Hollywood event seven months after sharing the video. "Might as well, they had a mic there," she said. "I don't take myself too seriously."
Released in October 1971, "Imagine" became Lennon's best-selling solo single and has since been covered by more than 200 artists, including Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Elton John, Joan Baez and Lady Gaga. Several artists, including John Legend and Keith Urban, performed the song at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo last summer.