Rachel Zegler responds to ‘Snow White’ casting backlash: “It was a really confusing time”
Rachel Zegler has detailed the emotional effect of the backlash she faced after being cast in Snow White.
Despite not arriving in cinemas until 2025, Zegler was first announced to star in the project in 2021, and immediately was on the receiving end of criticism due to her mother being Colombian.
In contrast, Zegler was previously criticised for starring as Maria, a Puerto Rican character, in West Side Story due to her mixed heritage.
Now, she explained in a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, “I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for West Side Story and too much of another for Snow White. It was a really confusing time to be in my early twenties and hearing that.”
Zegler added of her Colombian heritage, “I grew up proud of being Colombian – eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult – but I do think there’s an argument to be made that, in the public eye at least, when you’re two things, you’re simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else’s comfort.”
Additionally, Zegler also faced condemnation for a series of comments she made, including upsetting Disney superfans by calling the original Snow White film “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power”.
Zegler later expressed support for Palestine on social media and condemned President Donald Trump, leading to Jonah Platt, the son of Snow White producer Marc Platt, claiming that Zegler‘s political stances “clearly hurt the film’s box office”.
In the new interview, Zegler didn’t get drawn into a political debate, but did say, “I’ve said what I feel, and that will always be a testament to my core beliefs as a human. That’s where I stand.”
On the flip side, the star also noted of the experience, “You live and you learn, and there’s a caution that comes with that. There’s an understanding that the temptation to speak doesn’t always mean that it must be done, and that there are a lot of opportunities to make more meaningful change than a tweet.”
Notably, Snow White was a flop at the box office and also only racked up a measly 2.2 out of 10 score on IMDB from viewers.
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