Following in the steps of The Little Mermaid, Disney has again chosen an inclusive and progressive way to bring another one of its classic princess stories to life. The live-action adaptation of the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will star the 22-year-old American actress of Colombian descent Rachel Zegler in the titular role as Snow White.
Though the world is celebrating Disney’s continuous efforts to make cinema an inclusive space, Rachel Zegler has been facing racist backlash over her casting, similar to how Halle Bailey’s casting as Little Mermaid sent racists into a frenzy. The trollers are citing that the actress playing Snow White is supposed to be “white,” but Zegler has given the perfect response to their “nonsensical discourse.”
Zegler took to Twitter on July 15 and shut down all the naysayers, making it clear that she wants nothing to do with the senseless arguments about her casting:
The Shazam! Fury of the Gods star appreciated fans for defending her and requested everyone not to tag her in any racist discussions about her casting as Snow White. She also attached four adorable childhood pictures of herself, dressed as various princesses. One of which is her dressed in a Snow White costume with a wide toothy smile on her face.
The actress also sent out a powerful message along with the pictures, reiterating how she hopes “every child knows they can be a princess no matter what.” The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey replied to the tweet and extended her love to Zegler, saying, “We love you so much truly the perfect princess.”
The actress, who gained notoriety in 2021 for her role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s musical rendition of West Side Story, already found her role as Snow White before the release of West Side Story. The actress expressed her happiness over the same on Variety‘s Actors on Actors, saying “Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me.” Marc Webb, the live-action adaptation’s director, also extended his support in a statement, adding,
“Her strength, intelligence, and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.”
Rachel Zegler is the youngest to have won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She also recently appeared as the Greek goddess Anthea in the 2023 superhero film Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Before Snow White, Zegler will be seen in the upcoming film adaptation of the Hunger Games prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as Lucy Gray Baird, which wrapped filming in November 2022.
Gal Gadot will also star in Snow White as the Evil Queen opposite Zegler. The film is currently scheduled to be released theatrically on March 22, 2024.
Published: Jul 17, 2023 02:16 pm