‘Snow White’ Star Rachel Zegler Offers Surprising Response To Ongoing Backlash

Since its announcement, Disney’s live action Snow White remake has faced controversy, but Rachel Zegler thinks the backlash stems from passion. In an interview with Vogue Mexico, Zegler, who plays the titular princess, addressed criticism surrounding the film. One of the film’s biggest controversies is the casting of Zegler as Snow White.

According to Zegler:

I interpret people’s feelings about this film as passion for it, and what an honor to be able to be a part of something that people are so passionate about. We’re not always going to have the same feelings as everyone around us and all we can do is give our best.

Zegler is Latina, and her ethnicity has been one of the primary concerns of the naysayers, as it is different from the original 1937 animated film. This has happened in the past before, when Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid live action remake. The film ended up grossing $569.6 million worldwide against a $240.2 million budget. However, it did not match the success of Disney’s other live action remakes, such as The Lion King and Aladdin, which surpassed $1 billion.

Aside from casting, Zegler has previously made comments that upset Disney fans and conservatives. She described the original Snow White as “dated” and the prince as a “stalker.” Additionally, after Donald Trump’s election, she made comments about the President and his supporters, saying she hoped “Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” She later apologized, saying she let her “emotions get the best” of her.

A son of one of the directors of the original film publicly denounced the film, calling it a “disgrace.” He argued that in an attempt to “do something new” with a classic film were misguided and Disney’s aspiration to create “new woke things” was disrespectful to the legacy of Walt Disney and his father.

Zegler previously shared that the film will focus on Snow White’s “inner journey,” but affirmed to Vogue Mexico that “the love story is very integral” to the plot still. The film’s trailer quickly racked up over a million dislikes. Despite that, Zegler says the upcoming remake “found this beautiful, delicate balance between taking the animated classic that everyone knows and loves from 1937” and “introducing it to this new generation.”

Snow White releases in theaters March 19, 2025.