"I interpret people's feelings": Rachel Zegler on backlash for 'Snow White' comments
Feb 25, 2025
Washington [US], February 25 : Actress and singer Rachel Zegler opened up about the criticism surrounding the film, 'Snow White' and shared that people's love for the character is the reason for the backlash.
Zegler will star as the titular Snow White in the upcoming film. Her casting, first announced in 2021, was met with outrage due to her Colombian descent, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Zegler stars as the Disney princess Snow White in the live-action remake of the 1937 animated feature, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'.
The racism was then fomented when Zegler called the original 1937 version of the film "dated" and said the prince "literally stalks" the princess. When the actress spoke out against Donald Trump's election last year, the MAGA coalition vowed to boycott the film's release, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"I interpret people's feelings about this film as a passion for it," said Zegler, adding, "What an honour to be part of something that people feel so passionate about," she continued. "We're not always going to have the same feelings as everyone around us, and all we can do is give the best of ourselves."
Zegler also shared that it was a "beautiful experience" for young Black girls to see Halle Bailey direct the live-action Little Mermaid in 2023.
Zegler spoke about her Colombian heritage."I understand that the community doesn't want to be seen as a monolith, but the reality of being Latino and working in this industry is that we try to represent the entire diaspora," she said. "I know where I have been, I represent it in my narrative and I carry it in my heart every day," as per the outlet.
She further elaborated on the differences between the 19th and 20th-century versions of the Snow White film. "It's very important for the public to know that Disney has found this beautiful and delicate balance between the animated classic that everyone knows and loves from 1937, and at the same time, introduces it to this new generation," she said.
"Her superpower is her heart," she said. "There is no supernatural power that Snow White possesses beyond her love for humanity, for all living creatures and her fundamental belief that there is goodness in everything. That's something I really believe the world could take advantage of more," she added, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Snow White releases in theaters on March 21.
