People enjoy being mad online. But it can be hard to predict what is going to set off the “Discourse.” It could be the size of Bradley Cooper’s prosthetic nose in the first trailer for Maestro, in which he will play Leonard Bernstein. Or it might be a demand for Sandra Bullock to return her The Blind Side Oscar, after real-life football player Michael Oher claims the Tuohy family deceived him. The bottom line is, there’s always something to enrage the Internet, and the latest scandal has swept up West Side Story starlet Rachel Zegler for comments she made nearly a year ago about her upcoming take on the legendary Disney character of Snow White.
In a nutshell, Rachel Zegler was asked at D23 about seeing herself on screen as Snow White, which she called “the most incredible experience.” And when asked what she meant about comments she made from the stage about bringing “a modern edge” to the Snow White character, Zegler joked/commented that it’s “no longer 1937” and that her version of Snow White isn’t going to be “saved by the prince.”
Well, that pissed people off. Social media initially flooded with complaints that a woke Snow White isn’t necessary, and Rachel Zegler shouldn’t have agreed to play the part if she had issues with how Snow White was presented in the 1930s. (This is something Zegler has been addressing since she got the role, by the way.) Some even dug up clips of Zegler saying that the movie scared her when she first watched it (as a child), and accused her of being against the movie.
Now, however, the pendulum is swinging back the other way, as folks who are attempting to reframe the discussion and defend Rachel Zegler are asking why it’s OK for Harrison Ford or Robert Pattinson to crap all over the Star Wars or Twilight franchises for years, but Zegler can’t seek to possibly update a Disney cartoon. Twitter users are weighing in, commenting:
harrison ford and robert pattinson actively hate star wars and twilight and yet it’s hehe funny and all rachel zegler did was say snow white scared her as kid https://t.co/wG33WDX64bAugust 14, 2023
Mind you, Harrison Ford helped to create Han Solo in the Star Wars universe, and has celebrated his love-hate relationship with George Lucas (and his dialogue) for decades. Rachel Zegler is getting flak for critiquing a character that some hold on a high pedestal. But as this Twitter user pointed out:
Harrison Ford was in multiple projects before playing Han Solo.Rachel Zegler got cast as Snow White before her first movie even released.“No reason she had to take this role.” Fucking listen to yourself. Acting is a job. A CAREER!!! Wouldn’t you rather work than be homeless? https://t.co/G8JAYQ3ZTIAugust 14, 2023
Actors act. It’s a job. They are hired to portray characters. And as the above Tweet notes, Zegler took the Snow White role before her career took off and led to roles in Shazam: Fury of the Gods, or the upcoming The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This is not a high-powered A-lister able to flex her muscle about a project, or a role. This is an actress relaying a talking point that has been approved by the studio behind the modern interpretation of Snow White. One Twitter user even went to far as to suggest that the backlash against Rachel Zegler and her Snow White comments could be racially motivated:
So weird how Harrison Ford can shit talk Star Wars for decades and still be beloved by the franchise’s fans but the moment a young Latina goes 🤷🏻♀️ about her film’s source material and the whole internet is suddenly analyzing her body language 🤔🤔🤔 I wonder why!!!! https://t.co/nhH7joHosSAugust 14, 2023
All Rachel Zegler wants to do is have fun at the Taylor Swift Eras tour and make enjoyable movies. But this clip from 2022’s D23 fan convention is currently coming back to haunt her. Watch the video for yourself and come to your own conclusions about Zegler’s intent with her 1937 commentary.
It would make more sense for people to wait and see actual footage of Rachel Zegler’s Snow White, likely in the form of a trailer, before leveling heated criticism at the actress’s interpretation of the legendary character. But since the movie isn’t due in theaters until March 22, 2024, it might be some time before that first footage arrives.
