Rachel Zegler attempts a truce with angry ‘Snow White’ fans: ‘All we can do is our best’

Rachel Zegler is trying to calm the waters surrounding the live-action Snow White film after her previous comments landed her in the crosshairs of angry Disney fans. Speaking to Vogue Mexico, the actress diplomatically stated that she “[interprets] people’s sentiments towards this film as passion.”

The target on Zegler’s back was put there the minute she was cast as Snow White. Although she considers herself a white Latina, the more conservative audiences were hoping for a typical Caucasian beauty to take on the role, attributing Disney’s decision to its supposed “woke agenda.”

So, when Zegler called the themes in the 1937 film “dated,” the stage had already been set for anything she said to be blown out of proportion. “She’s not going to be saved by the prince [in the new movie], and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” she told Variety in 2022. Further comments about how Snow White’s love interest in the original film acted like a stalker and how she had only watched the film once as a child added more fuel to the fire. Soon she became the target of an online “anti-woke” hate campaign in the molds of what happened to Marvel actress Brie Larson.

Suddenly, everyone had a very personal connection to the Snow White film from the ’30s, taking Zegler’s words as an attack on their childhood and sense of being. How dare she and Disney critically examine the original and try to adapt it to more modern perspectives?!

In fairness, I agree that both Zegler and the Mouse House’s talents would be better employed making original fairytales that could rival the cultural significance of the original Snow White. However, if they’re so adamant about remaking every classic, they might as well use the new versions to inspire this generation of little girls to want more out of life than a Prince Charming.

Still, with a couple of years worth of hindsight and with the film about to hit theaters this March, Zegler is trying to rebuild those bridges. “What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about,” she continued in the recent interview, conceding, “We’re not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us and all we can do is our best.”

With how much the film cost after expensive reshoots (Variety reported a $240 million budget), it’s been speculated that Disney could be pressuring Zegler to tone down her outspoken nature to not alienate any more possible ticket buyers. It’s noticeable in these distinctly conciliatory comments and in the public apology she issued after sharing a passionate anti-Donald Trump message to her socials in the aftermath of the November elections. “I firmly believe that everyone has the right to their opinion, even when it differs from my own. I am committed to contributing positively towards a better tomorrow,” she stated.

Another point of possible friction is Zegler’s vocal support of a free Palestine, especially considering her Snow White co-star, Gal Gadot, is an Israeli with a military past. The controversy-riddled film, which is directed by The Amazing Spider-Man‘s Marc Webb and written by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, comes out on Mar. 21.