Rachel Zegler defends live action ‘Snow White’ against fan backlash
Rachel Zegler, the star of the live-action Snow White film, has said that backlash against the project stems from “passion” for the original Disney film.
Disney have re-released a number of their animated films in recent years, with live-action versions of The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. However, the release of Snow White has caused controversy among some people due to Zegler’s Columbian heritage.
The negativity surrounding her involvement in the film came to a head when the West Side Story star called the original film “dated”, with a storyline centring around a prince who “literally stalks” Snow White. The actor said she now interprets this sentiment as an overprotective reaction to a beloved classic story.
When discussing this with Vogue Mexico, Zegler said, “I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion. What an honour to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about. We’re not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us and all we can do is our best.”
She continued, explaining, “I understand that the conversation comes from the community not wanting 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. I know where I’ve been, I represent it in my narrative, and I carry it in my heart every day. No one can ever tell me that it’s not a part of me.”
Shortly after the announcement that she would play Snow White, Zegler shared her feelings on this backlash during the Variety Actors on Actors interview, saying the conversation about her casting went on “for days, because all of the people were angry”.
However, she responded in a considered way, expressing her excitement at taking on this role. “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.”
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