Rachel Zegler is looking back at all the backlash she received over her casting in Disney’s live-action version of Snow White.
In a new interview, Zegler recalls receiving negativity when she was cast in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
“I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for West Side Story and too much of another for Snow White,” she told Harper’s Bazaar UK. “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.”
Much of the discourse about Zegler’s casting in West Side Story centered on the fact that she wasn’t Puerto Rican, like Maria, the musical’s protagonist. In the case of Snow White, many detractors noted that Zegler didn’t fit the character’s description and didn’t resemble the animated classic’s version.
The release of Snow White was also marred by another controversy, centered on Zegler’s comments about the outdated character from the original film and the vocal support for Palestinians.
“I’ve said what I feel, and that will always be a testament to my core beliefs as a human. That’s where I stand,” they told the publication, adding, “You live, and you learn, and there’s a caution that comes with that. There’s an understanding that the temptation to speak doesn’t always mean that it must be done, and that there are a lot of opportunities to make more meaningful change than a tweet.”
Looking back at all the vitriol she received, Zegler said, “If I’d been able to predict everything that would come my way, the threats to my safety, I would have just thrown my phone into the ocean. I think any sane person would have.”