Snow White star Rachel Zegler makes awkward U-turn after slamming original
Rachel Zegler is the lead in new live action movie Snow White and suddenly gushed over the story after previously upsetting Disney fans by picking apart the 'weird' original
Actress Rachel Zegler has changed her tune about Snow White after playing the starring role. The actress is at the helm of the Disney film that just released in cinemas - and while she had many negatives to point out about the story when she was cast, she’s only sharing the positives now.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star was cast as Snow White in summer 2021, and didn’t seem to like the fairytale at all during her first couple of years.
Rachel, now 23, picked apart the story during a 2022 interview with Extra, slamming the romantic element and promising a change. “There’s a big focus on her love story with the guy who literally stalks her. Weird, weird. So we didn’t do that this time,” Rachel shared of her own thoughts, adding that the version she was cast in would take a “different approach.”
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly she also admitted that she was “scared of the original cartoon” as a child and had only “watched it once.”
The new film starring Rachel was released in UK cinemas on March 20, and she spoke to Good Morning America on the same date - one day before the movie hits US theatres. In contrast to her earlier words, Rachel seemed over the moon to play Snow White and full of compliments for Disney while talking on the show.
“It was the honor of a lifetime. I think every young person dreams about a phone call like that. This one is certainly extra special as a huge Disney fan,” she said of her casting in the role.
She added: “To get to bring her to life in such a unique way and such a special way, it's just a beautiful opportunity, and I'm very honored.”
Rachel did also seem to refer back to her earlier points of Snow White being key rather than a romantic interest, stating: “Her superpower remains her heart, you know, that’s always been the core of this story. That’s always been the core of the Disney Company.”
Many Disney fans were upset by Rachel’s casting as Snow White for what they saw as her derision for the role, but the actress also had to contend with some people raging against her just due to the colour of her skin.
After it was announced by Disney that Rachel was taking up the mantle of Snow White trolls objected, claiming that seeing as Rachel is Latina she couldn’t play a character known for having "skin as white as snow." Rachel reacted boldly to the hate and confusion, and wrote on X - formerly known as Twitter - at the time: "Yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role."
She also added just before the film came out: "The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing. My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like."
Ups and downs aside with Rachel’s casting, the film hasn’t come out with a bang - only holding 46% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. The BBC and The Telegraph awarded the movie three stars, but Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian went even lower and only granted it one lonely star.
The critic described it as an "exhaustingly awful reboot," slammed making the seven dwarves with CGI, and even accused Disney of “agonising and backlash-second-guessing” the original story - and shooting itself in the foot by doing so.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .