- Rachel Zegler will soon appear on the big screen as Snow White in the live action movie adaptation of the same name
- Her casting came under fire from some fans, who claimed it was ‘woke’
- Zegler has fired back at the comments
She rocketed onto our screens as a fresh-faced 17-year-old when she starred in Stephen Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of West Side Story.
And soon, Rachel Zegler will star as the titular character in the live action remake of Snow White.
Set to hit our screens in 2025, Zegler, now 23, will star opposite Gal Gadot, who will play the evil queen in the flick.
But while Zegler – who is currently performing alongside Heartstopper’s Kit Connor in the Broadway version of Romeo + Juliet – enjoyed taking on the role, she has also had to deal with online trolls who have promised to boycott the movie due to its “woke casting”.
Bigots have claimed that Zegler, who is of Colombian heritage, doesn’t fit the description of the Disney princess, who was described in the 1937 musical fantasy as having hair as black as ebony and skin as white as snow.
In a recent interview with Variety, Zegler said, “She was my mom’s favorite princess. When she was growing up, there weren’t a lot of dark-haired princesses, and that was the one she could relate to.”
While the Hunger Games actor may have been subjected to cruel comments, she has revealed that there are several changes to the new movie which explain her character a little better.
For the line about “skin as white as snow,” Zegler reveals that the new film has its own origin story for her name.
“It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby,” she explained. “And so the king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience. One of the core points in our film for any young woman or young person is remembering how strong you actually are.”
‘It’s upsetting when things get taken out of context’
It’s not just the origin of Snow White’s name that has left diehard Disney fans up in arms.
Back in 2022, Zegler was keen to point out that her version of the character wouldn’t be hung up on a man who “literally stalks” the princess – which didn’t go down too well.
“In all honesty, it made me sad that it was taken in such a way, because I believe that women can do anything. But I also believe that they can do everything,” Zegler says.
“I would never want to box someone in and say, ‘If you want love, then you can’t work.’ Or ‘If you want to work, then you can’t have a family.’ It’s not true. It’s never been true. It can be very upsetting when things get taken out of context or jokes don’t land.
“The love story is very integral. A lot of people wrote that we weren’t doing [that storyline] anymore – we were always doing that; it just wasn’t what we were talking about on that day.”
She added of her comments being taken out of context, “I’ve watched women get torn down my whole life, my whole career. We’ll watch it in the election that’s upcoming. We’re gonna witness that for a long time, I fear. Sometimes it can feel like we’re going back; it certainly felt that way when that was happening.”
‘You’re doing this for the little girl that you once were’
While the comments may have been hard to handle, Zegler has received fierce backing from a huge name – Brandy.
The singer was 18 when she starred as Snow White in ABC’s 1997 TV movie, which also featured Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother.
“I grew up in a house where that was Cinderella. Obviously, we watched the cartoon. But a child’s mind is the most amazing thing, where it’s just like, ‘OK, that’s Cinderella,’” Zegler revealed. “But the blond-haired, blue-eyed, blue-dress Cinderella from the 1950s cartoon is also Cinderella. Also, Hilary Duff is Cinderella in ‘A Cinderella Story… I was able to comprehend those things at a young age.”
In an email to the outlet, Brandy, now 45, wrote, “I know Rachel will be absolutely incredible in this role. You’re not taking on this role to fit the mold of the critics. You’re doing this for every little Colombian girl who has yet to see themselves in a role like a Disney princess.
“You’re doing this for the little girl that you once were, who grew up without that representation of her Colombian culture. You are showing her that anything is possible for someone who looks like her, and that is the most important job in the world.”
