Rachel Zegler Claps Back At Snow White Criticism And Calls Out Toxic Disney Fans

Rachel Zegler faced a swarm of hate for comments she made on the original 1937 film

Rachel Zegler has faced a lot of criticism ever since she was cast as Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake.When the casting was announced in 2021, Zegler received an initial wave of racist backlash, with some people claiming her Colombian heritage made her unsuitable to play the iconic character.

But that wasn’t the only controversy she’s had to deal with. The next year, in 2022, Zegler found herself in the middle of another backlash after she commented on the original 1937 animated Snow White film. She criticized the film for focusing on Snow White’s love story with the prince, calling it “weird” because of how the prince “literally stalks her.”

In an interview with Extra, Zegler shared her thoughts, saying, “There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. So we didn’t do that this time.”More recently, Zegler spoke with Variety about the hate she’s experienced over the last few years and how disappointed she felt that her remarks about the original film were misunderstood. She explained that her comments were not meant to take away from the idea of love but to expand the narrative of Snow White’s character.

“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 told Variety.She went on to clarify that Snow White can have love and romance but should also be able to pursue other goals in life.

“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. It can be very upsetting when things get taken out of context or jokes don’t land,” she added.

Rachel Zegler as Snow White in the upcoming filmDisney

Zegler also emphasized that the love story in the new version of Snow White is still very much a part of the film.”The love story [in Snow White] 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,” she explained.

She feels that the way her words were twisted is part of a broader cultural issue, where women in the public eye are often unfairly criticized. “I’ve watched women get torn down my whole life, my whole career,” she shared.Zegler referenced the upcoming elections, saying that we will likely witness similar treatment of women, adding, “Sometimes it can feel like we’re going back; it certainly felt that way when that was happening,” referring to the wave of hate she received in 2022.

The actor expressed her disappointment in her comments being misunderstoodDisney

Despite the backlash, Zegler remains determined not to let the negativity get to her.”I don’t like to give them the satisfaction of knowing they hurt me in the moment,” she said.

She also mentioned that taking a break from social media can feel like giving those critics power.

“You give them a lot of power by taking a social media break,” she added.

Zegler also addressed the hostile reaction to Disney casting a Colombian actress as Snow White.She expressed that she doesn’t waste time trying to understand why some fans are so upset about it.

Instead, she reflected on her own childhood and how different versions of classic Disney characters were completely normal to her.

“I grew up in a house where that [the 1997 version of Cinderella with Whitney Houston and Brandy] was Cinderella. Obviously, we watched the cartoon. But a child’s mind is the most amazing thing, where it’s just like, ‘OK, that’s Cinderella,'” Zegler said. She added that to her, the classic blonde, blue-eyed Cinderella from the 1950s cartoon was just as much Cinderella as Hilary Duff’s version in A Cinderella Story.Disney’s live-action Snow White is set to hit theaters in March 2025, and while the journey hasn’t been easy for Zegler, she’s staying strong and focused on bringing her version of Snow White to life.

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