Rachel Zegler is opening up again about the backlash to Disney’s live-action Snow White, saying the criticism went beyond normal movie discourse and led to attacks over her identity and threats to her safety.
In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, Zegler reflected on the reaction to her casting as Snow White, calling it a “really confusing” time in her life.
The actress, who is of Colombian and Polish descent, said she found herself being criticized from different directions over two major roles: West Side Story and Snow White.
“I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for West Side Story and too much of another for Snow White,” Zegler said.
Zegler Says Snow White Backlash Got Personal
Zegler’s casting as Snow White became controversial almost immediately after it was announced, with critics taking issue with Disney casting a Latina actress in the role.
The backlash only grew as the live-action remake became one of Disney’s most debated projects, with criticism over the casting, the story changes, the dwarfs, Zegler’s past comments about the 1937 animated film, and the broader direction of Disney remakes.
Now Zegler says the experience also became personal and frightening.
She said the backlash brought “threats to my safety,” adding that the whole thing became a lesson in “intent versus impact.”
Race And Identity Became Part Of The Fight
Zegler also pushed back on the way people discussed her identity during the Snow White controversy.
She said she was criticized for not being “enough” of one thing while making West Side Story, then criticized for being “too much” of another when she was cast in Snow White.
For Zegler, the two controversies became part of the same larger issue: being picked apart publicly over how people wanted to define her.
“I refuse to assimilate for anybody else’s comfort,” she said.
Snow White Remains One Of Disney’s Messiest Remakes
The comments come after Snow White became one of the most troubled live-action Disney remakes in recent memory.
The movie faced years of controversy before release, including backlash over Zegler’s casting, criticism of Disney’s changes to the original story, debate over the dwarfs, and political attention surrounding both Zegler and co-star Gal Gadot.
Disney later scaled back the film’s premiere, which only added to the perception that the studio was trying to get through the release with as little extra controversy as possible.
The movie then struggled at the box office, turning the entire rollout into another warning sign for Disney’s live-action remake strategy.
Zegler Stands By Herself
Zegler did not walk back who she is or how she handled the attention.
Instead, she framed the experience as painful but clarifying, saying she refuses to change herself to make other people more comfortable.
For critics of Snow White, the movie remains a symbol of Disney’s remake problems. For Zegler, the backlash appears to have become something much more personal: a fight over identity, public perception, and the cost of becoming the face of a major studio controversy.
Either way, Snow White continues to follow Zegler long after the movie itself came and went.
