Rachel Zegler, the leading actress in Disney’s live-action Snow White remake, has addressed the backlash she has faced and explained her determination to stand strong against the negativity.
From the moment Zegler was cast as the iconic Disney Princess, she encountered a wave of criticism, reminiscent of the reaction seen when Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
This situation escalated dramatically last year when a clip from a 2022 interview resurfaced, in which Zegler discussed changes made to the narrative in the live-action adaptation of Snow White. Specifically, she stated, “It’s no longer 1937… She’s not going to be saved by the prince.”
The fallout was severe, with old controversies being resurrected, out-of-context clips spreading, and threats to boycott her films. Despite a lull in the uproar, the negativity persisted, as evidenced by the trailer for the film, which garnered 1200% more dislikes than likes upon its release last month.
In a recent interview with Variety, Zegler expressed her disappointment regarding the situation, stating, “In all honesty, it made me sad that it was taken in such a way, because I believe that women can do anything. But I also believe that they can do everything.”
She clarified that the clips reflecting her comments were misinterpreted and that romance will still play a significant role in the live-action adaptation of Snow White – it just won’t be her sole focus.
“I would never want to box someone in and say, ‘If you want love, then you can’t work.’ Or ‘If you want to work, then you can’t have a family.’ It’s not true. It’s never been true,” she explained.
“It can be very upsetting when things get taken out of context or jokes don’t land. The love story is very integral. A lot of people wrote that we weren’t doing [that storyline] anymore – we were always doing that; it just wasn’t what we were talking about on that day.”
Despite the distress caused by the backlash, Zegler admitted that she was not surprised. “I’ve watched women get torn down my whole life, my whole career,” she remarked.
“We’ll witness this in the upcoming elections; it seems like we’re going to see this for a long time, I fear. Sometimes it can feel like we’re going backward; it certainly felt that way when that was happening.”
Although she considered stepping back from social media during the peak of the backlash, Zegler opted not to allow her critics that victory.
“I don’t like to give them the satisfaction of knowing they hurt me in the moment,” she shared. “You give them a lot of power by taking a social media break.”
For further updates on the House of Mouse, check out how to watch Wish, everything we know about Frozen 3, and when to expect Inside Out 2 on Disney+.
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