Rachel Zegler claps back at Disney Snow White hate in new interview

Rachel Zegler, the star of Disney’s live-action Snow White remake, has spoken out against the hate and explained why she refuses to back down.

Even when Zegler was first cast as the Disney Princess, there was a barrage of negativity not too dissimilar to the reaction received by Disney for casting Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid.

But this reached new heights last year when a 2022 interview clip surfaced in which Zegler describes some of the narrative points they’ll be changing in Disney’s live-action Snow White remake, saying, “It’s no longer 1937… She’s not going to be saved by the prince.”

What followed was a torrent of vitriol, from old dramas being dragged up to out of context clips circulating and threats to boycott her movies. 

It seemed like it had died down, but the negativity continued with the trailer, which received 1200% more dislikes than likes when it dropped last month. 

When asked about the situation in a new interview with Variety, Zegler replied, “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 explained that the clips were taken out of context, and that Snow White will still have romance in the live-action remake – it just won’t be her only goal. 

“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,” she said. 

“It can be very upsetting when things get taken out of context or jokes don’t land. The love story 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.”

Even though the backlash was upsetting, Zegler expressed how she wasn’t surprised. “I’ve watched women get torn down my whole life, my whole career,” she continued.

“We’ll watch it in the election that’s upcoming. We’re gonna witness that for a long time, I fear. Sometimes it can feel like we’re going back; it certainly felt that way when that was happening.”

Although she considered taking a break from social media when the backlash was at its loudest, the star didn’t want to let them win. 

“I don’t like to give them the satisfaction of knowing they hurt me in the moment,” she added. “You give them a lot of power by taking a social media break.”

For more on the House of Mouse, check out how to watch Wish, everything we know about Frozen 3, and when to expect Inside Out 2 on Disney+.