Rachel Zegler has a classy reaction to fresh onslaught of ‘Snow White’ hate
Every time an actress of color is cast as a race-swapped white character, the backlash is intense. That’s what happened to Rachel Zegler, who has spent the last couple of years being constantly attacked for daring to play Snow White and having opinions about the role.
It all started back at the D23 Expo in 2022. Zegler spoke to ExtraTV about the upcoming Snow White and revealed she wasn’t overly impressed with the original movie, saying, “The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so.” She criticized the love story, saying it was “weird” that Snow White falls for a guy who “literally stalks her.” The remake, she said, would “be really not about the love story at all.”
This really wasn’t that big a deal. Disney princess actors have criticized the source material before. Emma Watson said of Beauty and the Beast, “Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn’t fit in, other than she liked books. Also, what is she doing with her time?” But she didn’t get anywhere near as much criticism as Zegler did, and at this point the reason cannot be anything other than racism. Zegler is Colombian and Polish, and this has lead to a tidal wave of hatred almost comparable to the one Halle Bailey, who played a race-swapped Ariel in The Little Mermaid, had to face.
Rachel Zegler won’t bend to the ‘Snow White’ backlash
It’s been shocking to watch… but Zegler is handling the trolling and cruelty with grace. During a recent interview with Vogue Mexico (translation via Deadline), she said, “I interpret people’s feelings about this film as their passion for [Snow White]. What an honor to be a part of something for which people feel so much passion. We’re not always going to have the same sentiments as those around us and all that we can do is give the best of ourselves.”
Zegler added, “Now I see what a beautiful experience it was for all the Black girls around the world to see Halle [Bailey] play Ariel in The Little Mermaid.”
This is a measured response to what’s becoming a serious problem. Bailey faced racism when she played Ariel, Cynthia Erivo is currently being slated for playing Jesus in a new version of Jesus Christ Superstar, John Boyega was attacked merely for being in the usually very white Star Wars franchise. It speaks volumes about how society reacts to anyone who isn’t a straight white male being centered in a story.
Let us not forget, Zegler has even faced death threats for her outspokenness and her playing white characters. She received a very public one while playing Juliet opposite Kit Connor’s Romeo on Broadway, and while she handled it well, it must have been terrifying. One can only hope Disney is looking out for her as Snow White promotion ramps up.
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