Rachel Zegler has responded to the backlash that she has received over Disney’s casting decision for Snow White. Zegler is set to play the Disney princess in the upcoming live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Zegler broke out at the end of 2021 with her leading role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Her role in West Side Story was met with critical acclaim and led to her being cast in prominent roles for upcoming roles. In addition to Snow White, she is also set to appear in DC’s Shazam: Fury of the Gods. In addition to Zegler, Gal Gadot joined the Disney remake as the evil queen. Director Marc Webb is set to helm the film with Greta Gerwig tapped to write a new draft of the script.
Based on a story from The Brothers Grimm, Snow White revolves around the titular princess who runs away from an evil queen who tries to kill the princess out of jealousy for her beauty. After journeying for some time through the woods, Snow White comes upon a cabin inhabited by seven dwarfs. The dwarfs welcome her into their home, where she hides out until the queen eventually finds her. This tale was adapted into a Disney animated film in 1937, which was Disney’s first animated film.
While we are still a long way from the Snow White remake, the project has already been met with some controversy. Disney’s decision to cast Zegler led to some backlash as some have an issue with a Latina playing a normally white princess. In an appearance on Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” series with Andrew Garfield, Zegler reacted to the backlash, saying she is excited to be portraying a “Latina princess.”
“Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me. You don’t normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries. Blanca Nieves is a huge icon whether you’re talking about the Disney cartoon or just different iterations and the Grimm fairy tale and all the stories that come with it. But you don’t particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that. When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry. We need to love them in the right direction. At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I’m really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess.”
Zegler’s reaction to this backlash is heartfelt, and she certainly feels a large responsibility in bringing diversity to a role this important. However, the casting decision is not the only controversy surrounding the Snow White remake. Recently, Peter Dinklage bashed the project, mainly for its outdated portrayal of dwarves. Disney has since responded to his statement, saying that they are replacing the dwarfs for “magical creatures.” This project doesn’t have a current release date, but Disney has a lot of work to do to make sure this remake turns out okay.
