Snow White remake star Rachel Zegler has once again stirred up controversy while promoting the highly anticipated Disney film.
The 23-year-old, who has repeatedly sparked outrage with her woke views, waded into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on X while promoting the blockbuster, despite warnings from brand experts that such antics could result in a boycott.
The New Jersey native responded to X on August 12 — two days after she posted the trailer — saying, “And never forget: Free Palestine.”
The teaser trailer stars Zegler as the title princess, the controversial CGI Seven Dwarfs, and 39-year-old Israeli actress Gal Gadot as the iconic Evil Queen.
Some Israeli publicationPeople have taken offense to Zegler’s comment, claiming she insulted Gadot, despite there being no indication that there is any tension between the two leading actresses.
Disney has tried to avoid hot-button issues after the company became embroiled in a series of woke controversies that sent its stock price plummeting.
Zegler herself appeared to have calmed down after angering moviegoers by declaring that she “hated” the original 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
She called the storyline “weird” and referred to the character of Prince as a “stalker,” and said she made sure that all the fairytale kissing in the remake would be consensual.
Snow White remake star Rachel Zegler, 23, took to X two days after sharing a trailer sneak preview of the film and shared her political views, even after receiving criticism for past comments
The $330 million Disney film, directed by Marc Webb, was set for release in March 2024 but was delayed after executives had to hold “crisis talks” to limit the damage following backlash over Zegler’s views.
A number of disparate dwarves have since been replaced with CGI alternatives that more closely resemble the little people from the original film.
The actress, who wants to ensure that the remake is more progressive than the original version, previously faced negative reactions after several videos surfaced online in 2022 in which she made negative comments about the original film in interviews.
Zegler said of her character: ‘She will not be saved by the prince and she will not dream of true love.’
Some critics not only accused her of being a “fake feminist” but also accused her of “gaslighting.” One marketing consultant warned that Disney “needs to be careful about how they portray Snow White.”
Branding expert Carla Speight told DailyMail.com: ‘It’s clear that the original Disney princess films still hold on to old values, but Disney has fallen into the trap of doing the opposite and pushing a strong and loaded message on viewers. They believe this is empowering.
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 be released in March 2024, but was delayed after executives had to hold “crisis talks” to limit the damage following the backlash over Zegler’s views. (Photo: Zegler at D23 on August 9)
‘There was a time when Disney actors were trained in the media and thought carefully about the impact of their words, while also sticking to the main message of the films. But with this complete rewriting of Snow White, it seems that the portrayal of her as a ‘boss girl’ has gone to the stars’ heads.
‘Disney is going to have to be careful about how they portray Snow White and what they let their actors say in the future.
“They simply can’t repeat the same mistakes and let their actors voice their own opinions so loudly and clearly during promotions,” Speight added.
PR expert Nick Ede agreed with Speight, telling DailyMail.com that rather than ’embrace her role’ as one of the most famous fairytale characters, Zegler ‘consciously 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 came out in 1937, and it really shows.
“There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who’s literally stalking her. Weird! Weird! So we didn’t do that this time.
While Disney has tried to avoid the hot-button issues, Zegler continues to add fuel to the fire after previously admitting she “hated” the original 1937 film, calling the storyline “weird” and referring to the character of Prince as a “stalker.”
“We have a different approach to what many people would undoubtedly consider a love story, just because we cast a man in the film,” she continued, referring to Andrew Burnap, who plays Jonathan-Zegler’s love interest in the film.
“All of Andrew’s scenes could be cut out, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!” she joked, before admitting in a separate interview that she was “terrified” when she went on the beloved Snow White attraction at Disney World.
Of the 1937 film, she said, “I was afraid of the original version. I think I saw it once and never picked it up again. I’m serious.”
“I saw it once and then I went to an attraction at Disney World called Snow White’s Scary Adventures. It doesn’t sound like something a little kid would enjoy. I was terrified of it, never went to Snow White again,” she added in an interview with Gadot.
In a later interview with Late Night host Jimmy Fallon, Zegler claimed that she regularly stood in line for the Disney attraction she so despised.
In another notable interview about the film, Zegler defended the film’s newly forced progressive slant: ‘People joke about our film as the politically correct Snow White… yes, it is – because it needed to be.
Of the 1937 film, she said, “I was afraid of the original version. I think I saw it once and never picked it up again. I’m so serious.”
The 1937 version of Snow White was the first full-length traditional animated film and Disney’s first animated film
“Our version is a refreshing story about a young woman who has a function that goes beyond My Prince Will Come.”
The Colombian-American actress faced criticism after being cast in the role of Snow White, who is always described as having “skin as white as snow.”
In a tweet that has since been deleted, she wrote: “Yes, I am Snow White. No, I will not bleach my skin for the role.”
In addition to Zegler’s controversial statements, the seven dwarfs in the remake also caused a backlash.
The film received negative attention after DailyMail.com revealed that the dwarves would be replaced by seven “magical (non-dwarf) creatures”, which would keep the film in line with 21st century political correctness.
The film received negative attention after DailyMail.com revealed that the dwarves would be replaced by seven “magical (non-dwarf) creatures.” In the trailer, the dwarves are seen as CGI characters (pictured)
They were originally seen on the set of the film and consisted of a mix of men and women of various ethnicities, with an actual dwarf in their midst. Disney initially denied that these photos were from the set of the film – but eventually went back on its words.
In the trailer, the real dwarves were replaced by CGI characters, who danced and sang along with Zegler.
Disney’s 1937 version of the film follows Snow White as she 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, it became a huge hit for Disney, earning hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. It was also the first full-length, traditionally animated feature film, and Disney’s first animated feature film.
The new film adaptation of Snow White is expected to be released in March 2025.
