Disney responds to Peter Dinklage's criticism on 'Snow White' live-action film
Jan 26, 2022
Washington [US], January 26 : Disney has finally responded to the harsh criticism by Emmy-winning actor Peter Dinklage about the studio's upcoming live-action remake of 'Snow White'.
The 'Game of Thrones' actor was a guest on Monday's episode of Marc Maron's WTF podcast, where he blasted the upcoming film based on the 1937 animated classic.
The actor had condemned the existing hypocrisy about the drama and also criticised the casting of 'West Side Story' breakout star Rachel Zegler in the film.
He said, "Literally no offence to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White -- but you're still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me."
"You're progressive in one way, but then you're still making that fu---ng backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f--k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I'm not loud enough," Dinklage, who is not involved with the Disney project, told Maron.
The statements made by Dinklage made headlines within a few hours of being aired.
In an attempt to set the record straight following the actor's remarks, a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, "To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period."
Still years from release, Snow White will have cultural consultants, just like other live-action films such as Aladdin and Mulan. The film has been in development for three years; the studio has been reimagining the dwarf characters since the earliest stages, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Marc Webb's directorial live-action reimagining of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' will feature Rachel Zegler in the titular role and Gal Gadot as the villainous Evil Queen. Tony Award winner Andrew Burnap will also star.
Marc Platt, the Oscar-nominated producer who worked on the live-action rendition of 'The Little Mermaid' for the studio, is producing Disney's live-action 'Snow White' that will begin production this year.
The studio has not announced a release date yet.