Snow White: Rachel Zegler Responds To Online Hate Over Her Disney Princess Casting
Even though she's still young, Rachel Zegler is developing quite an impressive filmography, having already starred in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" remake as well as the well-received "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Songbirds and Snakes" as Lucy Gray Baird. However, she's also been the target of online harassment over her casting in the titular role of the upcoming live-action "Snow White."
Online hate is an unfortunate reality for many in the spotlight. The subject came up when Zegler spoke with Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid," during Variety's Actors on Actors series. "Choosing thankfulness and gratefulness is choosing peace," Zegler said in a clip posted by the outlet to X, formerly known as Twitter. "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. And it fuels them more."
Both actresses know about unfairly being at the center of massive backlash. Bailey received racist comments online due to her casting in "The Little Mermaid" because Ariel is white in the animated movie. Zegler has faced similar racist responses because she's part Colombian (and part Polish), while Snow White is typically described as having skin as "white as snow." In these kinds of movies, a character's race is typically a negligible component of who they are, but many people online will still crusade against anything they perceive as "forced diversity" or "wokeness."
Old interview clips also played a role in the Rachel Zegler backlash
While there's definitely a racial component to the backlash against Rachel Zegler, many have also latched onto comments she made in 2022 concerning her Snow White casting. While at D23 and speaking to Variety, both Zegler and Gal Gadot, who will play the Evil Queen in the remake, spoke about modernizing the adaptation. "It's no longer 1937," Zegler said. "She's not gonna be saved by the Prince, and she's not gonna be dreaming about true love. She's dreaming about becoming the leader that she knows she can be."
This didn't stick well with many on social media, particularly TikTok, where numerous users stitched the Variety video to call out Zegler's comments and claim that someone who actually likes the original fairy tale should portray the character. Of course, if people want to watch the original "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" with all of its old-school ideas concerning womanhood, they can just...watch the original. It makes sense that a modern remake would pursue more contemporary ideas, so Zegler isn't wrong in being excited to explore a new take. It's also worth noting that Gadot is standing right next to her, agreeing with her statements, and she somehow managed to avoid the Snow White backlash.
Finally, there's good, old-fashioned misogyny at play. With the Zegler online hate, there's a woman of color speaking her mind and promoting more feminist ideas, so there are always going to be people who respond negatively to that.