Rachel Zegler Calls Snow White a ‘Huge Icon’ in Spanish-Speaking Countries
She went from starring in West Side Story to appearing in DC’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and now Disney’s live-action adaptation of Snow White. As a Disney fan, portraying a Disney princess is “really exciting” for the young actor.
Rachel Zegler starred as María in ‘West Side Story’
Plucked from an applicant pool of 30,000 people, Zegler portrayed María in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story remake.
She performed “Balcony Scene (Tonight),” “I Feel Pretty,” and “One Hand, One Heart” — all of which were songs featured in the original production of this movie musical. Zegler also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Rachel Zegler will portray Snow White in Disney’s live-action adaptation of their animated film
Spielberg’s West Side Story is now available on Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+, officially making Zegler a part of the Disney family. Her involvement with the studio doesn’t end there, though. Recently, Disney announced Zegler would portray the title character in their live-action version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
During her Variety Actors on Actors interview, Zegler commented on her newest role. She stated that “never in a million years” did she imagine starring as Snow White in Disney’s upcoming remake, especially because she’s Latina.
“You don’t normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent,” Zegler said. “Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries. Blanca Nieves is a huge icon whether you’re talking about the Disney cartoon or just different iterations and the Grimm fairy tale and all the stories that come with it.”
Rachel Zegler says people were ‘angry’ with her upcoming role in Disney’s ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’
Zegler is a massive Disney fan, heading to the company’s Orlando theme park after the Snow White announcement, complete with a red headband and themed backpack. However, not every Disney fanatic was satisfied with this casting choice.
“You don’t particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that,” she continued during the same interview. “When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry.”
Zegler wouldn’t be the only recipient of backlash from Disney fans. Halle Bailey will star as the title character in Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Some stated the role should’ve been given to an actor who looked more similar to the cartoon princess.
“Ah, those people,” Garfield said to Zegler. “The people that we need to educate. The people that we need to love into awareness.”
“We need to love them in the right direction,” Zegler responded. “At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I’m really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess.”
