Actress Rachel Zegler has broken her silence on alleged misfortunes for her role in the live-action Snow White film.
Zegler gained widespread recognition for her role as Maria Vasquez in the film adaptation of West Side Story (2021). Before her breakout role, Rachel Zegler was a relative unknown, but her talent and determination propelled her into the spotlight. She won the role of Maria after an extensive audition process, beating out thousands of other hopefuls. Her portrayal of Maria received critical acclaim for its emotional depth, and her singing voice was praised for capturing the essence of the character.
Following that run as Maria, the floodgates of Hollywood began to open for Rachel Zegler. She was pegged to replace Jennifer Lawrence as the lead in a prequel forThe Hunger Games, and Disney pegged her as the next big Disney princess, sharing that she would become Snow White in a live-action adaptation.
The initial decision was met with some backlash, but it grew to a fury as fans began to hear Rachel Zegler talk about the upcoming film. The actress shared in multiple interviews that this movie would be nothing like the original and that the 1937 version– which had been created by Walt Disney himself— was “strange” to her. In addition, Zegler shared in other comments that Andrew Burnap– who plays the role of Jonathan since there is no prince– could see his role completely cut if the executives decided to do so.
“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937,” Zegler said. “We absolutely wrote a ‘Snow White’ that … she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love; she’s going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true.”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) holds a significant place in the history of cinema and animation for several reasons. Firstly, it was the world’s first full-length animated feature film, pioneering the art of animation and proving that a feature-length cartoon could be both artistically and commercially successful. The film’s success laid the foundation for Disney’s subsequent animated classics and the animation industry as a whole. In addition, the film also played a pivotal role in Disney’s legacy, kickstarting the Disney Princess franchise and the company’s continued domination of family entertainment. Snow White herself became an iconic character, setting the standard for future Disney princesses.
With so much love from the Disney community for the original animated Snow White film, it’s easy to see why Zegler’s comments could promote outrage among some. As a matter of fact, it has driven so many to outrage that numerous reports have come forward claiming that the actress was fired from her role as Snow White.
On several separate occasions, articles with misinformation have come forward, sharing that Zegler had been fired, and they have spread like wildfire. Just recently, the actress did see a role that she was originally supposed to take on go elsewhere. Zegler was reportedly set to take a major role in Paddington 3, but that came to an end as the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes forced her to be cut from the film. Now, as the viral talks online continue about her potential firing from the Disney live-action film, the actress has broken the silence.
A clever Tweet from her recently began with “the rumors are true,” but it wasn’t what fans expected to see afterward. The message has since received more than 5.8K likes and 234.5K views.
the rumors are true 🙁 i am three apples tall
the rumors are true 🙁 i am three apples tall
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) September 26, 2023
The actress’s Tweet confirms that she hasn’t been cut from the movie and, instead, she’s poking a little bit of fun at those rumors that have come forward, even using apples in the post.
Disney’s Snow White live-action film, which also stars Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, is scheduled to be released on March 22, 2024, for now. The movie could potentially be delayed or moved back, but there is no indication from Disney that they will be canceling the film or firing Rachel Zegler from her role.
What do you think of the new live-action Snow White? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!
