Rachel Zegler has been discussing her upcoming role in what has become one of Disney’s most divisive live-action remakes, and shared the changed origin story that allowed her version of Snow White to ditch the “skin white as snow” line from the 1937 animated classic. Along with discourse over dwarfs, and it’s two lead actress’ stances on the current war between Israel and Palestine, one of the constant complaints online is how Zegler was cast in the role that has frequently been defined by the character’s skin color.
Speaking recently to Variety, Zegler explained how technically nothing about the character has actually changed, and the remake simply looked back beyond the well-known depiction of the character to another version of Snow White that existed before Disney ever got their hands on the story. She said:
“It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby, and so the king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience. One of the core points in our film for any young woman or young person is remembering how strong you actually are.”
Rachel Zegler Has Been Forced to Defend her Casting in Snow White
For an industry that relies on actors being able to portray someone they are not, take on many guises, and often completely change their appearance and persona in a believable way, there are a growing number of issues raised about certain actors playing certain roles. Zegler has managed to fend off many attacks from internet trolls over her casting in next year’s Snow White – even if she really shouldn’t need to in the context of it simply being the case of an actor portraying a character that is completely fictional.
Back in May, the actress celebrated her birthday with a message that called the previous year one of the hardest of her life, and shared a hope for “less being afraid for my safety in public.” At the time she wrote:
“The door is shutting on 22 right now, and wow! What a hard year! If you’ve been online to any degree you probably know why. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn where the love in my life truly lies and to have gotten my dog. But I hope 23 holds a lot less hatred, a lot less being afraid for my safety in public, and a lot more understanding for growing up.”
Of course, no one has yet seen Snow White, and everyone is judging it on its trailer alone – combined with the unavoidable nostalgia that many people live with constantly thanks to the endless stream of remakes and reboots coming out of Hollywood right now. Whether they feel any different once the film is released in 2025 is yet to be seen – but they probably won’t tell anyone if they do.
Snow White will arrive in cinemas on March 21, 2025.
