Rachel Zelger is taking it to the critics of her new Snow White film and she’s not holding back!
Disney’s live-action adaptations have been a big thing for the company in the last decade, even if the last few efforts have been so-so. Yet few have been talked about like the upcoming Snow White. Remaking the first Disney animated feature that began it all is a daring move, even if the Snow White myth has been adapted countless times before and since.
However, there has been a serious backlash against the film, starting with the casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow. The actress is of Colombian descent and thus does not quite match the classic heroine. There were also complaints about her age or singing ability. Then on-set photos of supposedly a diverse cast of dwarves caused further outrage.
Then the trailer hit and was quickly derided for its bad special effects and the movie was postponed until 2025. Zegler was also bashed online for her statements on how Snow wouldn’t be a damsel in distress and seemingly equating the Prince’s true love kiss as assault.
Speaking to Variety, the actress spoke up point blank on the controversy and how it felt yet stands by her words.
"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. 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."
Zegler admitted she was tempted to quit social media after the backlash but “I don’t like to give them the satisfaction of knowing they hurt me in the moment. You give them a lot of power by taking a social media break.”
The controversy seems to be continuing even as the film prepares for its debut.
Zegler clarifies Snow’s name
Among the issues, as noted, is that Zegler doesn’t match the Snow White of the fairy tale, whose name comes from “skin fair as white.” She explained to Variety that Disney is explaining that by linking it to an older part of the tale.
"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. 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."
Zegler is getting backing from Brandy who knows what she’s going through as she was cast as Cinderella in a 1997 Wonderful World of Disney film. She also reprised the role for the recent Descendants: The Rise of Red film and praised Zegler to Variety on how “she will be absolutely incredible in this role.”
The film may still see resistance from fans of the original animated classic and issues on its quality. Yet Zegler is showing she won’t back down from the haters and in that respect, matches Snow White perfectly.
Snow White premieres in theaters March 21, 2025.