Rachel Zegler has been at the receiving end of backlash ever since she was cast as the Fair Princess in Disney’s live-action Snow White remake. While initially it was her casting and ‘not looking the part’ that drew criticism, today, the controversy has gotten out of hand.
While fans are already criticising the actress, several celebrities have joined in on the ‘hate.’ Although there have been enough supporters of the actress, both among fans and within the industry, the hate against the 23-year-old has gotten out of hand. Well, here is a look at the matter.
Rachel Zegler and a series of weird, weird circumstances
Rachel Zegler has been made a scapegoat for the failure that Snow White has turned out to be. While her casting as the Fair Princess, whom she looks nothing like, and her subsequent ‘feminist’ comments garnered severe criticism, the current issue is much broader.
It all started when Tatiana Siegel wrote the Variety article revealing how a Disney producer Marc Platt, had to fly to New York to personally see the actress and have her delete a pro-Palestine comment from a post related to Snow White. According to the said article, Zegler’s comments have negatively affected the film’s box office as well and Disney had to hire extra security for Gal Gadot amid death threats towards her.
Recently, Platt’s son, Jonah Platt, went on to criticize the actress, labeling her ‘pro-Palestine’ comments as the cause of the film’s terrible box office performance. Although Zegler seemed to have stopped mixing her work with her political views, her pro-Palestine stance and past comments have continued to garner hate (see Variety).
The rumors of an alleged feud between Zegler and her Snow White co-star, Gadot, who hails from Israel and served in the IDF, further made things worse. Moreover, the instance when the actress publicly voiced out frustration when not being invited to the 2022 Oscars despite being the lead in the best picture nominee, West Side Story, has resurfaced, making matters worse.
Thus, apart from her casting and ‘feminist’ comments, her subsequent pro-Palestine comments, and allegedly refusing to delete the above-mentioned ‘political’ tweet that made the matter worse.
What are Rachel Zegler’s Snow White co-stars saying about her?
While Rachel Zegler’s Snow White co-star Gal Gadot is yet to comment about her, Andrew Burnap (aka Prince Charming) called her amazing and delightful on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Apart from her Snow White co-stars, several other actors have come out to support her.
Zegler previously revealed to Allure that her Shazam! Fury of the Gods costars Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu had shown their support privately, as did actress Jameera Jamil. Moreover, actress Melissa Barrera, who herself is a pro-Palestine, reshared a post about Zegler on her Instagram story as did artist Ethen Cain (via Business Insider).
Even the Mandalorian star, Pedro Pascal, came out to support the actress, sharing a photo of her on his Instagram stories with the word ‘icon,’ subsequently drawing immense backlash over his action (see the New York Post). However, there have been more than a few celebs who have voiced their disapproval of Zegler.
Danica Patrick recently threw shade at the actress by reposting a video criticizing the actress’ performance with the words bye bye as the caption (via US Weekly). John Lennon’s son, Sean, similarly hit out at Zegler, by stating she acts like a spoiled, ungrateful and disconnected brat despite agreeing that the vilifaction had gone too far (via the Independent).
Additionally, the controversial star Russell Brand, too, went on to criticize her in an X post, labeling her haughty. Fans, too, have joined in on one or the other camp, with most supporting her, calling her the best part of the picture, or others blaming her for the film’s failure.
As the backlash and support against the actress continue on, it showcases the complexities and challenges of being a public figure. While her casting alone was controversial, the subsequent events have made the matter more complex, highlighting the tangible nature of the film industry. Meanwhile, as Deadline reports, Snow White is headed for an estimated $115 million after considering all the sources of revenue, from box office to merchandise sales.
Snow White is still in theatres.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
