Disney’s live-action “Snow White” might not be coming out until 2024, but titular star Rachel Zegler has already made it clear that viewers need to be prepared for a very different retelling. In a recently resurfaced video of the actress speaking to Extra at the 2022 D23 Expo, Zegler said of the movie, “I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her.”
She then laughed and added, “Weird! Weird. We didn’t do that this time.”
Zegler also clarified, “We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie, Andrew Burnap, great dude. It’s one of those things that I think everyone’s going to have their assumptions about what it’s going to be, but it’s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful.”
When Zegler’s comments resurfaced this week, they predictably sent conservatives and ardent Disney fans alike into a rage. While sharing a video of the interview, right-wing author and noted transphobe Matt Walsh tweeted, “Disney is trying a really interesting marketing strategy where the star of the new Snow White spends a year before the movie’s release publicly talking about how much she despises Snow White.”
This isn’t the first time Zegler’s thoughts on the movie have sparked controversy and major feelings. She joined co-star Gal Gadot for an interview with Entertainment Weekly at the same event last year, and the pair covered everything from world leadership to not being saved by a prince.
As Zegler explained at the time, “The reality is that the cartoon was made 85 years ago, and, therefore, it’s extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power, and what a woman is fit for in the world.”
Fascinatingly, it appears the reason conservatives are poring over year-old comments this weekend is due to Zegler’s more recent commentary about the SAG-AFTRA strike. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight earlier this month, she said, “If I’m gonna stand there 18 hours a day in the dress of an iconic Disney Princess, I deserve to be paid for every hour that it’s streamed online.”
YouTuber Amala Ekpunobi tweeted in response, “Entitlement at its finest. What a lovely attitude for the woman meant to be playing Snow White.”
TalkTV commentator Alex Armstrong also chimed in, “She has to be one of the most entitled, smug fame hungry actresses in modern Hollywood. Every interview she does makes me dislike her even more.”
Perhaps it’s time for someone to let Armstrong know that if these interviews are anything to go off of, Zegler isn’t all that concerned about having him as a fan.
