Rachel Zegler has asked fans not to tag her in social media posts about “the nonsensical discourse” surrounding her casting as Snow White.
In 2021, it was announced that Zegler – best known for her role in West Side Story – had been cast as the princess in the live-action musical of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is due for release next year.
The casting announcement has attracted controversy from some quarters, however, with voices criticising the decision to cast an actor of Latin descent as the popular princess character.
“Extremely appreciative of the love I feel from those defending me online, but please don’t tag me in the nonsensical discourse about my casting,” Zegler recently said on Twitter. “I really, truly do not want to see it.”
The 22-year-old accompanied the post with photos of herself as a child in costume as various Disney princesses, adding: “So I leave you with these photos! I hope every child knows they can be a princess no matter what.”
The furore surrounding her casting was recently reignited after the Daily Mail published an article earlier this week titled “EXCLUSIVE: Snow White and the Seven... Politically-Correct Companions? First pictures of new live-action remake of Disney classic shows stand-in princess walking with diverse band of merry men and women after row over using dwarf actors”.
The piece claimed to show images taken of the Disney set in Bedfordshire, England, which many criticised as “woke” due to the different “genders, ethnicities, and heights” of the actors apparently portraying Snow White’s confidants.
The controversy escalated when a Disney spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Friday (14 July) that the set photos were fake. “The photos are fake and not from our production. We are currently trying to have the Daily Mail issue a correction,” Disney initially said.
When asked to respond to Disney’s claim that the photos were fake, however, the Daily Mail reported that the production studio “confirmed that stand-ins were used for both Rachel Zegler and Andrew Burnap in these images”.
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In a statement to The Independent, a Disney spokesperson clarified: “The images that ran [in the Daily Mail] are not official film photos. These show stand-ins for some talent and do not feature Rachel Zegler or [co-star] Andrew Burnap.”
The leak of “misleading” set photos caused considerable backlash from conservatives, including Ben Shapiro.
The conservative commentator, however, was mocked online for his “bigoted” complaint, with many accusing Shapiro of “phoney outrage”.
Zegler will next star in the forthcoming Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which will follow a young Corionalus Snow as he mentors a tribute for the 10th Hunger Games.
The film is slated for a theatrical release on 17 November 2023.
