Rachel Zegler Breaks Silence, Addresses ‘Snow White’ Film

Rachel Zelger is taking on the world with one comment after another.

Rachel Zegler is a new face to acting, Zegler is an actress and singer who gained attention for her casting in the lead role of Maria Vasquez in Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of West Side Story (2021). She initially gained notice for posting covers of songs on social media platforms, including a rendition of Lady Gaga’s Shallow from the film A Star Is Born (2018). Her talent and vocal ability caught the attention of the casting directors for West Side Story, ultimately leading to her selection for the lead role.

With her popularity in West Side Story, Disney cast her as Snow White in the new live-action Snow White (2025) film. Many fans believe Zegler has caused issues with the Snow White film due to backlash, and after Rachel Zegler commented about changing the live-action film and confirmed major changes to the new version from the 1937 Walt Disney original.

“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.”

In previous months, Zegler joked about the Snow White film, and shared that Andrew Burnap’s character might be omitted. Gal Gadot is set to play the role of the Evil Queen, she is best known for her work as Wonder Woman.

Speculation has circulated about Rachel Zegler’s potential departure from the project, particularly following unconfirmed reports that she would no longer be starring in Paddington 3 (2025). Despite these rumors, there has been no official confirmation of Zegler’s exit, and she continues to share content related to Snow White on her social media platforms. In a first look, Disney revealed that it would indeed be Zegler who plays the Disney princess in the version.

While Rachel Zegler is working on Snow White, she is also starring in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023), the newest Hunger Games prequel. Zegler is set to play Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12.

While Rachel Zegler is still set to star as Snow White, The Walt Disney Company has pushed back the release date from March 22, 2024 to March 21, 2025. While we are unsure why Disney has pushed back the film, speculation is that the strikes in Hollywood caused this and that Disney wants to give backlash time to die down.

Vanity reported on the newest comments made by Zegler about the Snow White film, and she expressed excitement for the film.

“I’m just really excited to get to share that movie with everyone in March 2025. We’ve got a lot of magic up our sleeve.”

While there has been backlash, Disney is pushing forward. Despite the Walt Disney Company’s widespread popularity and success, Disney films have not been immune to backlash. Various factors, ranging from casting decisions to cultural representation, storytelling choices, and even perceived political undertones, have led to criticism and controversy surrounding some Disney productions.

This post originally appeared on Disney Dining.