Highlights
- Rachel Zegler addresses the controversy surrounding her Snow White role in an interview with Halle Bailey, highlighting the importance of choosing thankfulness.
- The live-action remake of Snow White has faced backlash, particularly regarding Zegler's casting. Critics question her suitability for the iconic role.
- Zegler acknowledges the pressure of playing Snow White and expresses her love for Disney, as fans eagerly await the film's release in 2025.
Rachel Zegler's Snow White live-action remake has been a lightning rod for controversy and negative attention. Now, Zegler has addressed the situation in a recent interview with another new-gen Disney Princess.
While the original Snow White is fondly remembered by many, this didn't stop Disney from adding the project to the list of similarly iconic animated projects that the company would remake in live-action, with Zegler in the lead role opposite Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. The film’s announcement was met with some pushback, which proved to be a common trend for the entire line-up of live-action remakes that had come before, most notably with The Little Mermaid, which was targeted for disdain after the casting of actress Halle Bailey in the lead role.
While the West Side Story star has rebuffed the Snow White criticism in the past, Zegler was able to discuss the role in a more friendly environment recently. Speaking to Bailey in a sit-down talk facilitated by Variety, the two stars discussed their feelings about their respective roles and how they dealt with the backlash. Responding to Bailey's remarks on how critical and hostile online commenters can be, Zegler opined, “Choosing thankfulness and gratefulness is choosing peace. As much as you’d like to remind people verbally that being in the spotlight doesn’t absolve you of your humanity — that you’re allowed to have human moments — it doesn’t necessarily do what you want it to do. It fuels them more…. So it’s choosing to be present and know that they’re probably just having a really hard day. And I’m putting out a movie.” Zegler also commented on the pressure that came with the iconic Snow White role.
The cartoon is so beloved. It was the first feature-length cartoon movie. It won honorary Oscars. And all these amazing things that happened for that film are the reason that you and I get to sit here today, because it made Disney what it is. Obviously, that’s come with a lot of pressure that I’ve put on myself. Much like “Hunger Games,” there’s a very dedicated group of people who love Disney cartoons. I’m one of them. I love everything that the Disney Co. has put out in the past 100 years.
Due to the amount of love and fond memories attached to Disney's classic animations, the backlash to attempts at 'improving' or 'updating' the works has been proportionally massive from many concerned fans. Somewhat predictably, trolls and bigots have also taken the outrage smoke cloud as an opportunity to get their hits in, with noted thespian Lin-Manuel Miranda slamming online racists attacking The Little Mermaid due to Bailey's ethnicity. While the negative reaction to casting a Latina as Snow White has also had some racially charged language thrown in, the main focus of the pushback to Zegler's casting focuses on the actress herself, whose statements concerning the project at various times have been relentlessly flung back at her face.
Zegler will have to be strong and confident in her work on the project, which is lacking in external support, with one ex-Disney employee calling Zegler's Snow White a disgrace far in advance of any screenings. Fans can only wait and see if the film manages to cast a shadow on the controversy at release.
Snow White is currently set for theatrical release in the United States on March 21, 2025.
Disney
Disney is a conglomerate and media company that owns several television stations like ABC, Disney Channel, and Disney XD. They are also owners of the Marvel and Star Wars franchises and own the ever-popular Disney theme parks found all around the world.
Source: Variety
