Rachel Zegler’s ‘Snow White’ Isn’t Controversial

by

On Mar. 11, 2025, it was reported that Disney was canceling its red carpet premiere of Snow White due to controversy surrounding the film, which centered on stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. Since Zegler was announced as Snow White, a great deal of media coverage has focused on the “controversy” around the film. While the film certainly has come under fire, one point that is treated as a controversy that shouldn’t but continues to be covered as such is, as Variety reports, “Some toxic Disney fans questioned Snow White being played by Zegler when her casting was announced because she is a Latina actor.” That isn’t a controversy, and any sane person would realize that.

Yet much of the discourse around the film, from both fans and journalists, has propped up this narrative that people are angry that Zegler is playing Snow White as a legitimate critique worth taking seriously. The reaction to Rachel Zegler being cast as Snow White is not a real controversy but a racist talking point taking hold in the media discussion. Unless individuals rightfully call it out as such, it runs the risk of legitimizing this as a worthwhile discussion instead of treating it as something not worthy of serious consideration. The more we treat “people are mad at a woman of Columbian descent” being cast as Snow White as a valid critique instead of calling it out for being racist and closed-minded, the more it seeps into the discourse and is put onto audience members as fact and sets a dangerous precedent.

It’s time we stop treating the controversy around Snow White, particularly the casting of Rachel Zegler, as anything but what it is: a campaign rooted in racist talking points that has gone unchallenged for far too long.

The Roots of the Harassment Campaign Against Rachel Zegler

If you’ve been online, an immediate knee-jerk reaction to this criticism is, “Rachel Zegler is actually not liked because she disrespected the original film,” which digs into part of the problem. That is a narrative that took on a life of its own, but one that is linked to the sometimes subtle but also overt racist reaction Rachel Zegler got when she was first cast for Snow White in June 2021 and has largely been unchallenged for four years now because that was used as a cover to sneak in more insidious ideas.

Zegler’s casting as Snow White has come under fire more than other Disney live-action decisions. No controversy was made over Emma Watson as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora in Maleficent, or Lily James in Cinderella. The only other Disney live-action remake to get this much negative discussion based on a casting decision was when Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Consider why Bailey and Zegler came under fire more than the previously mentioned Disney princesses. If one is honest with oneself, the common denominator is clear: these are the two characters that feature non-white actors. Yet they knew they needed to find a way to make it not seem racist, redirect the hatred the other way, and coach it in a more acceptable critique. So, Zegler was made out to be someone who “hates” Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and “trashed the original.”

Speaking with Extra in September 2022, Zegler commented on how their Snow White would be an update from the 1937 film, noting that the original was clearly a product of its time and wasn’t the most progressive. It was a jokey response that made people already prone to hating Zegler’s casting of Snow White an easy soundbite. Her calling the Prince a “stalker” was treated like some grand offense even though it isn’t that dissimilar to the “Beauty and the Beast is about Stockholm Syndrome” or “Ariel gave up her legs for a man” takes that have been repeated by fans forever. Rachel Zegler’s harmless comments were treated like she burned the last remaining film print of Walt Disney’s original animated movie. Also worth noting is that Zegler is not the director or writer of Snow White. Any creative changes being made to the film are beyond her control. But why is there no hatred directed towards director Marc Webb?

Numerous thumbnails on YouTube by grifter accounts quickly launched into “Woke Rachel Zegler Trashes Snow White,” even though she didn’t say or do anything that previous Disney remake actresses haven’t done, noting how their films want to update their story conventions for a modern audience. This created a two-year-long media cycle where people were constantly publishing anti-Zegler Snow White pieces, even taking a comment she made about the infamously terrifying Disneyland ride and her not liking it as a major attack on Walt Disney’s legacy. Don’t risk ruining your algorithm, but if you type ‘Rachel Zegler’ and ‘Snow White’ into YouTube, you will get some variation of the same thumbnail and headline that were removed from context. It certainly feels weird, creepy, and obsessive for grown-ups to be this mad about a 20-something-year-old actress and a Disney movie.

There is also the fact that Zegler has been a very vocal person online, particularly in regard to support of Palestine and also being an outspoken critic of the Trump administration. Zegler’s comments about people who voted for Trump were seen as so bad she issued an apology (which is better than some celebrities, like Gina Carano’s transphobic tweets that got her fired from The Mandalorian). Yet the people already primed to hate Zegler’s Snow White casting used this as more fuel for the fire and justified their hatred of her, even though they already had it out for her long before that. Even people who are typically in direct opposition to MAGA crowds might find themselves repeating the same talking points when it comes to Rachel Zegler’s Snow White, which might inspire a bit of self-reflection on what the anger is about.

Ironically, the people who are typically so against movies having “an agenda” don’t mind spreading one, evident by the fact that The Daily Wire actually tried to make their own “non-woke” version of Snow White as a way to combat the Disney remake, including casting white actress and political commentator Brett Cooper to play their version of Snow White. That film was ultimately canceled because Cooper left the Daily Wire in December 2024. This subset of fans also speak out against cancel culture, but when it is a celebrity they don’t like, they do everything in their power to cancel them, as they’ve done with Rachel Zegler.

This creates a ripple effect, where the loudest voices dominate the cultural conversation around Snow White, generating clicks for other publications. They have to acknowledge it and then report it, but sometimes they do so uncritically or without context, and, therefore, they become accepted as the main narrative and treated as a fact. A lot of coverage centered on the Snow White trailer generating a large number of dislikes. However, it failed to acknowledge a long history of targeted review bombing on female-centric Disney properties like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law or Captain Marvel, particularly ones centered on stories around non-white individuals.

All this added to the idea that Rachel Zegler being Snow White was controversial. However, when you present the facts and lay it all out, it can’t help but read that where the real problem lies is a deep-down hatred for the idea of Disney race-swapping one of their classic princesses. Why would audiences have a problem with Rachel Zegler, who earned critical raves for her breakout performance in West Side Story and is an accomplished singer playing the role of Snow White? Wasn’t a criticism of Beauty and the Beast the decision to cast Emma Watson despite the fact that she couldn’t sing? Casting Zegler should, to a reasonable person, be a win-win. People can’t say, “She disrespected the original,” because people were mad at the casting before then.

Everyone likely knows about the duck test, the expression that “if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it is probably a duck.” The test implies that a person can identify an unknown subject by observing that subject’s habitual characteristics. It is sometimes used to counter abstruse arguments that something might not be what it appears to be. In this case, if the initial criticism around Snow White was due to a racist response to casting a non-white actress in the lead role, and the movie is getting so much hatred, that is likely a big reason why. If the criticism around Zegler as Snow White sounds racist, and the critiques look a little racist, it is probably a little racist.

Can ‘Snow White’ Even Be Fairly Judged?

This isn’t to say that if you don’t want to see the Snow White movie, you are racist. There are actual critiques to have against the movie, from the overt design of the film to the CGI dwarves. There is also the idea of another Disney live-action remake that feels like another cold, cynical move by Disney to mine nostalgia instead of embracing an original idea, though Snow White‘s reaction has been far more intense than other live-action remakes.

There is also the Gal Gadot situation, as the actress has come under fire herself for her vocal support of Israel, particularly since the events of Oct. 7. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel has urged a boycott of Snow White over Gadot’s pro-Israel stance. Conversely, Israel’s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, accused Zegler of having little knowledge of the Middle East following her support of Palestine. Notably, neither Zegler nor Gadot have made any public comments about the other or the beliefs of their co-star. However, the controversy around Gadot is more recent, whereas the ones centered on Zegler have been on display since she joined the project.

There are valid critiques of Snow White to be had. Yet we need to stop pretending that people who are openly racist toward Zegler being cast as Snow White is an acceptable answer or to be treated as a fair-minded point of criticism. It also can’t be ignored that casual racist talking points have seeped their way into the discourse surrounding the film and should be called out as such. Treating people with weird hatred of Zegler as Snow White seriously is the original sin of discourse around the film, as many of the “controversies” stem from people being mad at Zegler and then manufacturing hatred out of it.

Because of how much water has been given to the seed of racist discourse, Snow White is now a movie that is impossible to engage with in a meaningful way. Any review of the movie will now likely acknowledge much of the behind-the-scenes discussion of the film, with Zegler’s casting framed as “political,” even though she is just playing a Disney character no different from Angelina Jolie as Maleficent or Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.

The movie won’t be judged on its own terms but its place in the larger culture war, as any criticism of the movie will be used as ammo for people who have already made up their minds about hating the film, while anyone who likes it will be labeled a “shill.” It isn’t allowed to be a movie the same way many other films are; it is a lightning rod for whatever cause suits the narrative. This isn’t to suggest that actual critics will either hold back or judge Snow White more harshly, though they may be skeptical of channels that have spent two years talking about how awful the movie will be. Snow White‘s quality will have nothing to do with whatever star Rachel Zegler did or did not say or her skin color. After all, casting white actresses Lily Collins and Kristen Stewart didn’t make Mirror Mirror or Snow White and the Huntsman good.

Disney Has Left Zegler and Many Others to Fend for Themselves Against Harassment

The sad part, though, is that Disney, the studio that cast Rachel Zegler as Snow White, is not standing by its talent. Disney wants to gain positive notice from more liberal audience members for taking these swings and opening up casting opportunities. On paper, this is good since Disney is a global company with generations of fans who are constantly looking towards the future and always have one eye on what the social trends of the next generation will be. Don’t forget, one of the most iconic Disney attractions is It’s A Small World, with the song highlighting unity and the lyric “There’s so much that we share. That it’s time we’re aware.”

The idea of “Disney going woke” is absurd when one considers that in the Disney Renaissance, a lot of talk about characters like Belle, Jasmine, and Esmerelleda was that they weren’t like the Disney women of yesteryear. They weren’t going to have more agency, which, if one follows the same train of logic applied to Rachel Zegler, means those filmmakers were being disrespectful to Disney’s legacy. Films like Mulan and Aladdin were made to diversify the Disney slate of projects, and if those films were to be made today, the same people angry at Rachel Zegler for being Snow White would also call those Disney films they now call classics “woke.”

However, Disney has done little to nothing to stand by or support Zegler. They have made no public statements denouncing the racist comments that flood their social media anytime they try to promote Snow White. Canceling the film’s premiere can’t help but give the illusion that they are backing down from the internet hate mob, which emboldens them to do it again. Sadly, Disney has not been the best ally when it comes to its creative voices, particularly women or people of color.

Tatiana Maslany has spoken about the negative reaction she still gets on her Instagram for She-Hulk, despite the series ending three years ago. When the stars of The Acolyte spoke up about the negative review bombing the series got before anyone saw a single frame of footage, they were harassed, and Disney did little to nothing to back them up. Stars like Kelly Marie Tran from Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Brie Larson on Captain Marvel have become high-profile targets for online hate over minor issues. This doesn’t even get into the company’s controversial (and yes, these are controversial, we are using that word correctly) decision to scrap transgender-centric episodes of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and Win or Lose, seemingly to avoid offending or drawing the ire of the Trump administration or the various supporters, which comes at the cost of their LGBTQ+ fans.

It can’t help but feel like Disney uses women and people of color as props to make themselves look better, but when it becomes inconvenient for them, they distance themselves. Maybe Disney was counting on other, more liberal audience members to defend Zegler for them. Those audiences can’t muster up much to care about ANOTHER Disney live-action remake, but Disney should be responsible for protecting their talent. It is disappointing, to say the least.

This Is Bigger Than Just Rachel Zegler

This might seem like a “defense” of Disney, which it isn’t. There is nothing to say that you should like the latest Disney movie. While there is a discussion to be had on why this movie, in particular, is the Disney live-action remake people are drawing the line at and not one of the previous titles or any of the upcoming releases, that is one for another day. But for now, Snow White looks like another Disney live-action remake, so it likely will be on par in quality with The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast, which can be taken however you want (notably, no reactions to the movie have come out so this is all speculative).

However, this is a defense of star Rachel Zegler, who has been on the receiving end of some truly abhorrent and racist comments, all spread by people who seem to take pleasure in a supposed downfall, all for the sin of seemingly being the wrong skin color to play a fictional made-up character. The idea that Rachel Zegler playing Snow White is controversial normalizes racist talking points into discussions under the guise of “criticism,” and without being challenged, is dangerous because it allows these ideas to become normalized among many impressionable young minds.

While someone might feel like they are getting one over on Disney, they are a major studio that will be fine at the end of the day. They are a multi-billion company that can take a hit like this. Yet Rachel Zegler is getting bullied in this situation. We, as a culture, need to do better by speaking out against this type of normalization of vitriol, manufactured hatred, and racism. This is bigger than just Zegler. This is about how Danielle Brooks got so much hatred for appearing for a small bit in the Minecraft trailer or how Ayo Edebiri got death threats and called racist slurs because Elon Musk shared a fake news story about Edebiri being considered for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. Offensive comments are becoming too normalized. Things are getting worse, and we need to look out for one another and call out injustice when we see it.

One would assume that after stars like Ahmed Best spoke about his thoughts of suicide due to fans taking their hatred of Jar-Jar Binks so far, people would have learned better, but they haven’t. So-called “fans,” even though they seem to have more hate for the properties they seemingly like, are behaving worse than others and crossing some lines that they should be called out for. Back in 2010, when the white supremacist group The Council of Conservative Citizens called for a boycott of Marvel’s Thor because Black actor Idris Elba was cast as Heimdall, they were treated as a joke and not worthy of consideration. Yet now Thor would likely be labeled “controversial.”

I can only implore someone to read all this, look at how Zegler and many other female stars are treated, and maybe consider if this behavior of harassment is justified. I hope that most people are thoughtful and empathetic enough to realize this is unacceptable and will start speaking out. Or, if you’ve bought into the hype of hating one of these projects, you can take some self-reflection and realize it isn’t too late to stop, because it is never good to be the bully. It is okay to admit you’ve made a mistake. It is better to admit one is wrong and apologize and work to do better than dig one’s feet in and stand by one’s stance, because admitting any fault or wrongdoing is treated as a character fault instead of a natural part of being human. We all make mistakes, but to quote the very non-Disney musical Hazbin Hotel, “It starts with sorry.”

No, Rachel Zegler playing Snow White isn’t controversial. Ask a child, the target audience for Snow White, and they will tell you they don’t care about any of this stuff that has made them so angry at Rachel Zegler. They either do or don’t want to see Snow White for the same reason as any kid does or does not want to see a movie: does it look entertaining? If you have a problem with a Latina actress playing Snow White, Zegler isn’t the problem. Snow White is heading to theaters on March 21, 2025.

Read More

2025-03-17 00:41