American actress Rachel Zegler has revealed she would have “thrown her phone into the ocean” if she had foreseen the intense backlash that followed her casting as Snow White. The singer and actress, who rose to prominence as Maria in the 2021 remake of West Side Story, took on the titular role in Disney’s live-action adaptation of its 1930s animated classic.
The actress, who is of Colombian heritage, faced significant online criticism when she was cast as a character traditionally described as having a complexion “as white as snow”. While Zegler defended herself at the time, expressing gratitude for those supporting her, she also asked them not to tag her in comments.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar UK, Zegler reflected on the experience, stating: “I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for West Side Story and too much of another for Snow White. It was a really confusing time to be in my early twenties and hearing that.”
She continued: “I grew up proud of being Colombian – eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult – but I do think there’s an argument to be made that, in the public eye at least, when you’re two things, you’re simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else’s comfort.”
Zegler added that the experience brought “threats to my safety,” leading her to conclude: “If I’d been able to predict everything that would come my way… I would have just thrown my phone into the ocean. I think any sane person would have.”
The star also expressed a wish for more maturity at the time, saying: “I wish I’d had maybe five more years on me before all that happened – a little more of a frontal lobe.”
Beyond Snow White, Zegler also starred in The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, a prequel to The Hunger Games franchise.
With a new film in the series, Sunrise On The Reaping, due for release this year, she reached out to new cast member Whitney Peak, stating: “I’m here, even though I hope to God you don’t need me.” She affirmed her commitment to future diverse casting: “And the next time a woman of colour is cast as a Disney princess, I’ll be there with bells on to support them, to lift them up, to advise and to tell them what not to do.”
Zegler also shared that she has received support from British actress Dame Helen Mirren and Kill Bill star Lucy Liu, both of whom she worked with on Shazam! Fury Of The Gods. “We’d have long conversations about what it means to be a woman in this industry, and the disappointments they both faced at times,” she noted.
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Last year, the award-winning actress made her West End debut as Eva Peron in Sir Tim Rice and Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musical Evita, earning widespread critical acclaim. Zegler is set to return to the stage this year to star as Cathy in Jason Robert Brown’s production of The Last Five Years, a role she described as her “dream” when she was 16.
The April issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK will be available from March 10.
