When you’re a young star on the rise, there are tremendous highs and sometimes unspeakable lows. Rachel Zegler, who was pulled straight out of high school by Steven Spielberg to star in his 2021 adaptation of West Side Story, saw those highs almost immediately when it was clear that her talents were not meant to be confined within the halls of high school. The actress earned raves for her performance, even garnering a Golden Globe Award for her work, but the lows soon set in once she became the subject of intense internet trolling that intensified when she landed the role of Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation. As she prepares to take the stage in director Sam Gold’s take on Romeo and Juliet opposite Kit Connor, the actress is speaking out about the toxicity she has received from people online.

During a chat with Variety, Zegler brought up the “Disney adults” who seemed to take issue with the actress, who is Latina, playing a character that was of porcelain skin in Disney’s animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Hunger Games actress famously explained that her version of the character isn’t spending her time longing for a man, adding that the prince “literally stalks” Snow White in the 1937 film. She didn’t shy away from noting that aspects of the original story were off-putting, which put her in the sights of angry fans.

Zegler says the backlash during that time upset her, but she wanted to prove that Snow White, as a character, was capable of more. “In all honesty, it made me sad that it was taken in such a way, because I believe that women can do anything,” Zegler says. “But I also believe that they can do everything.” She also believes that some of the things she said were taken out of context.

“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, you can’t. have a family.’ It’s not true. It’s never been true. 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 that we were talking about on that day.”

Zegler believes that some fans purposely misinterpreted what she said to justify attacking her online. Like Brie Larson before her, Zegler has positioned herself as someone who isn’t afraid to speak up, even if it could lead to backlash. It’s something Zegler is used to seeing in both the entertainment industry and the media. “I’ve watched women get torn down my whole life, my whole career,” Zegler says. “We’ll watch it in the election that’s upcoming. We’re gonna witness that for a long time, I fear. Sometimes it can feel like we’re going back; it certainly felt that way when that was happening.”

Rachel Zegler Also Garnered Criticism Over Her Support of Palestine

The criticism Zegler has received online goes beyond her casting as Snow White. The actress has been an advocate for Palestine, something that became the subject of public attention after she appeared at D23 to show off the first footage from Snow White. In a post on X, Zegler expressed gratitude to be able to present the footage, but in another tweet, she ended her D23 round-up with the line, “And always remember, free Palestine.” The media immediately turned this note into controversy, with one trade saying it was bound to cause friction between her and Snow White co-star Gal Gadot because the former Wonder Woman actress served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years.

For Zegler, it came down to not wanting to “watch children die,” although she knows that the whole situation is more complicated than that.

“I can’t watch children die. I don’t think that should be a hot take. I’m only responsible for what I feel. And then I’m also responsible for how I act upon it. We’re nearing one year since the horrendous attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, but I’ve been following this conflict for so many years. Like so many people, I’m so heartbroken by the loss of life that we’re seeing with these insane death tolls coming out of both regions.”

You have to give Zegler credit for standing on her beliefs, not being afraid to speak up, and keeping her head held high when she does receive intense criticism at times. She’s human and likely does feel the sting of her detractors, but she won’t be leaving her public platforms anytime soon. “I don’t like to give them the satisfaction of knowing they hurt me in the moment,” says Zegler. “You give them a lot of power by taking a social media break.”