- Snow White star Rachel Zegler says she had to prove heritage to producers
- The 23-year-old star appeared in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story
- She stars in Disney’s live action Snow White, out this week
Snow White actress Rachel Zegler says she constantly had to prove her Latin heritage to producers while auditioning for Steven Speilberg’s West Side Story.
The 23-year-old star played Maria in Spielberg’s 2021 musical, a role that catapulted her to mainstream success. However, in a new interview with Allure, she says bagging the role required her to feel like she had to prove her heritage.
Read more: Snow White actress Rachel Zegler holds back tears in emotional speech
“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name” she told the outlet whilst promoting Disney’s Snow White.
“When I was in the running for María in West Side Story, they kept calling to ask if I was legit.
“I remember thinking, Do you want me to bring my abuelita in? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her.”
Read more: Snow White Rotten Tomatoes score is in and it’s not great
Zegler continued, highlighting how ridiculous it was having “a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them.”
For reference, Zegler was born in New Jersey to mother Gina and father Craig. The former is of Columbian heritage while the latter has roots in Poland. “It’s an interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in,” added Zegler. “But I love being Colombian.”
Snow White controversies
The topic of ethnicity is sadly something that Zegler has been forced to discuss in the past.
When she was first cast as the titular heroine in Snow White, some fans made noise about a Latin-American actress playing a character described as having skin “white as snow.”
It’s an issue that has also been thrown at casting choices for Disney’s previous live action remakes. African American actress Halle Bailey received similar criticism when she nabbed the role of Ariel in 2023 The Little Mermaid.
These problems joined an ever-growing list of controversies surrounding the movie. These included Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage – a star who has a form of dwarfism – criticising Hollywood’s decision to retell this type of story. He called the move a “backwards step.”
Zegler angered fans gain by questioning the role of the saviour Prince in a modern retelling of Snow White. Later, anti-Trump social media posts got her on the wrong side of the President’s fanbase.
Zegler and her co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, have publically shared opposing views regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Snow White reviews: What are critics saying about Rachel Zegler film?
Snow White hits cinemas on Friday 21 March 2025 although early reviews have already made their way online. Currently, the film holds a 47% critics score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
While many commented on the bad press, some offered more balanced looks at the film and its contents.
“It’s not quite fairest of them all, but hardly a poisonous apple, either,” said one reviewer.
“Director Marc Webb manages a balance between Snow White’s new and old elements, but, despite Rachel Zegler’s impressive vocal abilities, some lively choreography and vibrant set design, the result is more Ho Hum than Hi Ho,” added another critic.
“Snow White entertains without any great discoveries, it’s watchable, and flows seamlessly between decent musical numbers and a lavish visual display, but the final feeling is one of wanting more,” said a third.
