Rachel Zegler, the star of the “Snow White” remake, has sparked another storm of outrage while promoting the long-delayed Disney film.
The 23-year-old, who has repeatedly sparked anger with her outspoken views, weighed in on the Israel-Palestine conflict while promoting the blockbuster film “X,” despite brand experts warning that such antics could trigger a boycott.
The New Jersey native responded to her own post on X on August 12, two days after the trailer was released, saying, “And never forget: Free Palestine.”
The teaser trailer features Zegler as the titular princess, the controversial seven CGI dwarves and Israeli actress Gal Gadot, 39, as the iconic evil queen.
Some Israeli publications took offense at Zegler’s comment, accusing her of insulting Gadot, although there is no evidence of tension between the two leading actresses.
Disney has tried to distance itself from sensitive issues after becoming embroiled in a series of “woke” controversies that have been blamed for crashing its stock price.
Zegler herself seemed to have calmed down after angering moviegoers by saying she “hated” the 1937 original “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
She called the plot “weird,” referred to the prince’s character as a “stalker,” and said she made sure that all the fairytale smooching in the remake was consensual.
Rachel Zegler, 23, star of the remake of “Snow White,” shared her political views in an “X” interview two days later after facing heavy criticism for earlier comments.
The $330 million Disney film, directed by Marc Webb, was originally scheduled to hit theaters in March 2024, but was postponed after executives had to hold “crisis talks” to do serious damage control following the negative reaction to Zegler’s stance.
In addition, a cast of various dwarves has now been replaced by CGI alternatives that more closely resemble the little people from the original film.
The actress, who has promised to make the remake more progressive than the original version, has previously faced fierce backlash after several videos surfaced online in 2022 in which she made negative comments about the original film in various interviews.
Zegler said of her character: “She will not be saved by the prince and she will not dream of true love.”
Not only was she called a “fake feminist,” some critics also accused her of “gaslighting,” while one marketing consultant warned that Disney needed to “be careful about how it portrays Snow White.”
Speaking to DailyMail.com, brand expert Carla Speight explained: “While it is clear that the original Disney Princess films represent old values, Disney has fallen into the trap of going to the other extreme to force strong and charged messages on viewers – believing that this will give them power.”
The teaser trailer features Zegler (left) as the titular princess, the controversial CGI Seven Dwarfs and Israeli actress Gal Gadot, 39, (right) as the iconic Evil Queen
The $330 million Disney film was set to hit theaters in March 2024, but was delayed after executives had to hold “crisis talks” to do serious damage control following the negative reaction to Zegler’s stance. (Image: Zegler at D23 on August 9)
“There was a time when Disney actors were media savvy and thoughtful about the impact of their words while sticking to the core message of the films, but with this complete re-imagining of Snow White, the ‘boss girl’ portrayal seems to have gone to the stars’ heads.
“Disney needs to be careful about how they portray Snow White and what the actors are allowed to say and what they are not allowed to say in the future.
“They simply cannot repeat the same mistakes and allow their actors to voice their personal opinions so loudly at promotional events,” Speight added.
PR expert Nick Ede echoed Speight, telling DailyMail.com that rather than “embracing” her role as one of fairy tale’s most famous characters, Zegler deliberately chose to “spoil the story.”
Speaking at the Disney D23 Expo in California in September 2022, Zegler – best known for her breakout role in “West Side Story” – said: “The original cartoon obviously came out in 1937.”
“The focus is very much on her love story with a guy who is literally stalking her. Weird! Weird! That’s why we didn’t do that this time.”
Although Disney has tried to stay away from the sensitive subject matter, Zegler continues to add fuel to the fire, having previously admitted that she “hated” the original 1937 film and called the plot “weird” while referring to the Prince character as a “stalker.”
“We’re taking a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will think is a love story just because we cast a man in the film,” she continued, referring to Andrew Burnap, who plays Jonathan Zegler’s lover in the film.
“All the scenes with Andrew might get cut, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!” she joked, before admitting in another interview that she was “terrified” while riding the popular Snow White ride at Disney World.
She said of the 1937 film: “I was afraid of the original version. I think I saw it once and never picked it up again. I’m that serious.”
“I saw it once and then went on a ride at Disney World, it was called ‘Snow White’s Scary Adventures.’ That doesn’t sound like something a little kid would like. I was terrified by it and never watched Snow White again,” she added in an interview alongside Gadot.
In a subsequent interview with “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon, Zegler claimed that she often finds herself in line for the Disney ride she claims to detest.
In another widely read interview about the film, Zegler defended the film’s newly forced progressive orientation: “People joke that we are the politically correct Snow White… yes, it is – because that was necessary.”
She said of the 1937 film: “I was afraid of the original version. I think I saw it once and never picked it up again. I’m that serious.”
The 1937 version of Snow White was the first full-length, traditionally animated feature film and Disney’s first animated film.
“Our version is a refreshing story about a young woman whose role goes beyond ‘Someday My Prince Will Come.'”
The Colombian-American actress came under heavy scrutiny from critics after she was cast in the role of Snow White, whose skin was always described as “snow white.”
In a now-deleted tweet, she wrote: “Yes, I am Snow White; no, I am not bleaching my skin for the role.”
Aside from Zegler’s controversial statements, the seven dwarves in the remake caused their own backlash.
The film received negative attention after DailyMail.com revealed that the dwarves were to be replaced by seven “magical (non-dwarven) creatures” in order to bring the storytelling into line with the 21st century commitment to political correctness.
The film received negative attention after DailyMail.com revealed that the dwarves were to be replaced by seven “magical (non-dwarven) creatures.” In the trailer, the dwarves are seen as CGI characters (pictured).
They were originally spotted on the set of the film and featured a mix of men and women of different ethnicities, including a real dwarf. Disney initially denied that these images were from the set of the film – but eventually backtracked.
In the trailer, the real dwarves were replaced by CGI characters who danced and sang with Zegler.
In Disney’s 1937 version of the film, Snow White befriends the seven dwarfs while hiding from her evil stepmother, who later poisons her with an apple before Prince Charming awakens her from her sleep with a kiss. The plot is loosely based on the 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name.
At the time of its release, the film became a huge hit for Disney, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. It was also the first full-length traditionally animated feature film and Disney’s first animated film.
The new adaptation of Snow White is scheduled to hit theaters in March 2025.
