Credit: Rachel Zegler via X/Twitter
Hollywood rising star Rachel Zegler has bid an emotional farewell to her iconic character after a year of controversy and discourse surrounding her Snow White role in The Walt Disney Company’s upcoming live-action remake.
Rachel Zegler rose to international recognition after starring as Maria, one of the leads in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2022) alongside Ansel Elgort (Tony). The classic musical returned to the big screen after six decades and catapulted Zegler into the Hollywood spotlight. The actress followed up her performance in West Side Story with parts in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023).
The prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is adapted from Suzanne Collins’s young adult novel of the same name. Revealing the past life of Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), AKA the future President Snow and antagonist of the Katniss Everdeen, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes showcases the initial years of the Hunger Games, centering on protagonist Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler).
Zegler received acclaim for her role in this chapter of The Hunger Games franchise, and the audience also responded favorably to her performance. The movie netted $338 million at the global box office but was the lowest opening weekend for the franchise. That didn’t stop it from becoming a talking point on social media, eventually going on to score wins at the People’s Choice Awards 2024.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was awarded Action Movie of the Year, with Zegler snagging the award for Action Movie Star of the Year for her role as Lucy Gray Baird. Following her win at the award ceremony, Zegler took to social media and bid an emotional farewell to her District 12 tribute. The actress wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
i do wanna say on here— to everyone who watched our film, who loved our film, and who voted, you are the reason we get to make movies like this and continue suzanne’s stories in this medium. i am so grateful for you and for lucy gray. she has changed my life, as have all of you.
i do wanna say on here— to everyone who watched our film, who loved our film, and who voted, you are the reason we get to make movies like this and continue suzanne’s stories in this medium. i am so grateful for you and for lucy gray. she has changed my life, as have all of you. pic.twitter.com/efUt9UnGbE
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) February 19, 2024
The Zegler announced that this was likely her “last time” playing the role of Lucy Gray in The Hunger Games series and alluded to the drama surrounding her involvement as a Disney princess in another upcoming major franchise:
this is likely my last time representing our time in the hunger games and lucy gray as far as i know, and my heart aches with a deep love for what i get to do. i am not for everyone, as i have learned in the past year in particular, but i have felt embraced here. thank you.
this is likely my last time representing our time in the hunger games and lucy gray as far as i know, and my heart aches with a deep love for what i get to do. i am not for everyone, as i have learned in the past year in particular, but i have felt embraced here. thank you.
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) February 19, 2024
Related: Disney Buries Live-Action ‘Snow White’ With New Princess
She went on to thank the fans for voting and shared her hope that the soundtrack album gets nominated for the 2025 Grammy Awards so she can represent her character one more time.
Her performance as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came amid a turbulent year for the young Hollywood star. Back in 2021, Zegler was cast as the titular princess in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Now titled Disney’s Snow White and debuting in 2025, the remake–and Zegler’s involvement in the production–has been the focus of much discourse over the last two years.
First, there was the inclusion of Zegler, a Latina actress, in the title role of Snow White. Her casting added fire to the groups that believe Disney is pushing a woke agenda on its fanbase and came after Halle Bailey, a Black actress, was chosen for the role of Ariel in the 2023 The Little Mermaid live-action movie. The initial announcement of Disney replacing the seven dwarfs with magical creatures also sparked a furor. The House of Mouse has since revealed that the dwarfs will, in fact, be present in the film.
Last year, comments from Zegler would resurface about the different direction this version of Snow White would take, with the actress sharing her own opinion on Walt Disney’s original feature film. Zegler focused her discussion on how it wasn’t 1937 anymore and that the story would be updated to reflect Snow White’s strength and leadership qualities–something the fandom challenged. Then, the actress shared her thoughts on the stalker prince character and how it was weird.
The discourse online was so intense that it sparked a response from controversial conservative outlet The Daily Wire. The company revealed its first trailer for Snow White and the Evil Queen, featuring YouTube commentator Brett Cooper as the princess, and directly called out Disney for its so-called change in values. Snow White and the Evil Queen is set to debut on The Daily Wire’s Bent Key streaming service this year.
More recently, Zegler has presented a different view on her casting, discussing with Variety how monumental being part of the Disney machine is and how she has loved everything the company has put out over the last century. Interestingly, though, new merchandise suggests that Disney may be leaning back into their original story a little more, with a reported upcoming LEGO set including the classic cartoon iterations of the characters and not the live-action versions.
Related: Government Gets Involved in Controversial Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Remake
Disney’s Snow White is scheduled to release in March 2025 after being pushed back an entire year. The film stars Rachel Zegler as Snow White, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, Ansu Kabia as the Huntsman, and Andrew Burnap as Jonathan. It is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Will you be seeing Rachel Zegler in Disney’s Snow White? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
