Ever since she made her characteristic movie debut in Steven Spielberg’s (masterful) remake of “West Facet Story” in 2021, Rachel Zegler has develop into a lightning rod for controversy — though, to be extremely frank, it is normally as a result of individuals are being bizarre and racist to her on the Web. That has positively been the case in terms of Zegler’s different upcoming remake, “Snow White,” the place she performs the titular Disney princess. And in a current profile, she informed Selection that her movie creates an alternate historical past relating to the princess’ identify and mentioned that she tries to simply ignore the rudest Disney followers (particularly, ones indignant {that a} Latina actress is taking part in Snow White).
“It fell again to a different model of ‘Snow White’ that was informed in historical past, the place she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a child,” Zegler informed the outlet. “And so the king and queen determined to call her Snow White to remind her of her resilience. One of many core factors in our movie for any younger lady or younger particular person is remembering how sturdy you really are.”
As Zegler says (reasonably pointedly) within the profile, the destructive response to her being solid as Snow White comes right down to fundamental misogyny and hatred. “I’ve watched girls get torn down my entire life, my entire profession,” Zegler mused. “We’re gonna witness that for a very long time, I concern. Generally it could actually really feel like we’re going again; it definitely felt that approach when that was occurring.” Nonetheless, she merely stays on-line when individuals are terrible to her to take care of the ability: “I do not like to present them the satisfaction of understanding they harm me within the second. You give them a whole lot of energy by taking a social media break.”
Rachel Zegler desires her Snow White film to be extra empowering than the unique
In addition to the absurd racism surrounding Rachel Zegler as Snow White, the actress additionally made waves by criticizing the unique Disney animated movie, saying that director Marc Webb’s tackle the story might be a bit extra enlightened so far as its feminine lead is anxious. Chatting with Additional TV throughout the 2022 D23 Expo, Zegler mentioned the unique film options the prince mainly stalking Snow White and known as the entire thing “bizarre” whereas additionally noting that all the focus is on Snow White’s love story reasonably than her personal private improvement. It is a completely honest level to make, and but Zegler confronted vital pushback — so what did she say about it now to Selection?
“In all honesty, it made me unhappy that it was taken in such a approach, as a result of I imagine that girls can do something,” Zegler mentioned. “However I additionally imagine that they will do all the things.” Particularly, Zegler mentioned that she merely desires women and girls who see the movie to really feel like they will proverbially “have all of it,” and likewise clarified that the love story between Snow White and her prince is within the movie … however simply is not all the focus. “I’d by no means wish to field somebody in and say, ‘If you would like love, then you possibly can’t work.’ Or ‘If you wish to work, then you possibly can’t have a household.’ It is not true. It is by no means been true. It may be very upsetting when issues get taken out of context or jokes do not land,” Zegler clarified. “The love story could be very integral. Lots of people wrote that we weren’t doing [that storyline] anymore — we had been all the time doing that; it simply wasn’t what we had been speaking about on that day.”
As Rachel Zegler put it, there’s multiple option to play a Disney princess
It feels unimaginable that, regardless of the utterly outrageous hatred she receives from random on-line trolls, Rachel Zegler maintains such a constructive angle about her profession and her upcoming initiatives — together with the second the place she tells Selection that she has a private connection to Snow White. “She was my mother’s favourite princess,” Zegler revealed. “When she was rising up, there weren’t a whole lot of dark-haired princesses, and that was the one she may relate to.”
Zegler additionally makes a superb level the place she says that she watched Brandy’s 1997 model of “Cinderella” — the one that includes Whitney Houston because the fairy godmother — continuously as a child, and that Disney princesses will be performed by anyone throughout as many diversifications as potential and it is nonetheless the identical character. “I grew up in a home the place that was Cinderella,” Zegler mentioned in reference to Brandy’s efficiency. (Brandy additionally supplied a touching assertion for the piece the place she celebrated Zegler’s identification as a lady of Colombian descent taking part in the function of Snow White, saying that she’ll undoubtedly encourage little ladies the world over.)
“Clearly, we watched the cartoon,” Zegler continued. “However a baby’s thoughts is essentially the most superb factor, the place it is identical to, ‘OK, that is Cinderella.’ However the blond-haired, blue-eyed, blue-dress Cinderella from the Fifties cartoon can also be Cinderella. Additionally, Hilary Duff is Cinderella in ‘A Cinderella Story.’ I used to be capable of comprehend these issues at a younger age.”
In just some quick years, Rachel Zegler has constructed an unimaginable profession — and courted controversy
After Rachel Zegler despatched in an audition tape for “West Facet Story” and gained over one of many world’s biggest dwelling administrators, she skyrocketed to fame … and saved reserving huge initiatives. In 2023, she performed Anthea in “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” — which she bluntly mentioned she did for the cash — and that very same yr, she starred as tribute Lucy Grey Baird within the “Starvation Video games” prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” the place she sang her personal songs reside reverse Tom Blyth as a younger Coriolanus Snow (the long run president of the dystopian Panem performed by Donald Sutherland within the unique 4 films). Within the Selection article, Zegler additionally extensively discusses her starring function in a brand new Broadway manufacturing of “Romeo + Juliet,” the place she leads as Juliet (with “Heartstopper’s” Equipment Connor as her Romeo), which presents a a lot youthful and brisker tackle the Bard’s traditional love story.
Regardless of her powerhouse voice, critical performing chops, and albeit pleasant presence on the purple carpet, individuals are horrible to Zegler. The Selection piece additionally consists of an alarming anecdote a couple of time that somebody on X (previously referred to as Twitter) informed Zegler that somebody ought to “kill” her, to which Zegler cheekily responded, “Enjoyable reality i might be dying eight occasions per week on broadway this fall!!!!” She informed the random jerk to go forward and get a ticket … and additionally tagged the FBI for good measure. “Being well-known is not for the faint of coronary heart,” Zegler mentioned of the incident. Nonetheless, she’s out right here posting by it — and the world is getting her tackle Snow White in March 2025 whether or not just a few bigots are mad about it or not.