The Rachel Zegler Snow White Controversy Explained

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" originates from the gruesome fairy tales by Giambattista Basile and the Brothers Grimm, which are bloody, nightmarish stories that most parents wouldn't read to their children. Since then, "Snow White" has inspired everything from horror flicks to erotic films, further adding to its legacy as a twisted story at heart.

However, thanks to Disney reimagining the once-brutal narrative as a more wholesome story, "Snow White" is now regarded as a family-friendly fantasy about a princess, her loyal dwarf companions, and a handsome prince who steals her heart. Well, that's how it used to be perceived, as the House of Mouse's live-action "Snow White" remake, starring Rachel Zegler as the titular princess, is even more controversial than the story's horrifying roots.

2025's "Snow White" is a passable live-action retelling that updates the story for modern times, but the film's myriad of scandals have turned it into one of the most divisive releases in recent memory. With that in mind, let's find out why this seemingly innocent movie became the subject of some heated drama.

The decision to cast Rachel Zegler, an actor of Colombian descent, as a famously caucasian character caused outrage among some folks. As expected, the film's most vocal critics accused Disney of destroying a classic story with "wokeness," with Zegler's race being at the heart of the backlash. 

Conservative media company The Daily Wire responded by promising to produce a more traditional adaptation of the fairy tale (starring Beth Cooper from the controversial "Heathers" TV show) to coincide with the Disney release. As of this writing, the film has yet to see the light of day, and Cooper has since parted ways with the media outlet. Ben Shapiro, one of the company's main figureheads, was especially annoyed about Zegler starring in a "Snow White" movie, claiming that the character should be white because it's in her surname.

Zegler was also the subject of some vile racist abuse by trolls, who always come out in their swarms whenever a person of color plays a popular character (as evidenced by the abuse Halle Bailey received for being cast in "The Little Mermaid"). Zegler's situation bled into her real life, though, as she claimed people showed up at her home to harass her. It's a gross reality of the world we live in, but it wasn't the only controversy surrounding "Snow White."

The original "Snow White" fairy tale hasn't aged well, with the story's central romance and depiction of dwarfism being called into question. Peter Dinklage and Rachel Zegler are among the actors who have acknowledged its outdated elements, but one of them believed the story needed an update, and the other thought it should be left in the past.

Speaking on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast, Dinklage gave Disney credit for casting a Latino actor in a starring role. At the same time, the "Game of Thrones" star questioned why a "Snow White" movie has to exist in this day and age:

"You're progressive in one way but you're still making that f**king backward story of seven dwarves living in the cave. What the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I'm not loud enough."

Zegler, meanwhile, criticized the way in which Disney's original "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" portrays women, while claiming that the central love story is stalkerish. This is why an updated version was necessary, as she told Vanity Fair:

"People are making these jokes about ours being the PC 'Snow White,' where it's like, yeah, it is — because it needed that."

Zegler's comments didn't go down well with some folks at the House of Mouse, though, as they were concerned that her criticisms would hurt their big-budget blockbuster. On top of that, they weren't happy about the actor expressing her political viewpoints in a public forum.

Religion and politics are the two topics that are always guaranteed to divide audiences. While the casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White further inflamed culture war and identity politics debates, the actor expressing her personal viewpoints only added to the drama.

Zegler vocally supports Palestine in the war with Isreael, and she wasn't shy about sharing her views following Disney's D23 event in 2024. The "Snow White" star called for a free Palestine in a social media post, which didn't go down well with Disney's top brass, who probably wished she remained politically neutral while promoting the film. According to Variety, death threats were also lobbied at Zegler's Israeli co-star Gal Gadot after the event, prompting Disney to hire security for the Evil Queen actor. Moreover, people within the studio feared that Zegler's comments would harm the film's box office chances. As one insider explained:

"She didn't understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone."

Disney's "Snow White" subsequently flopped at the box office, but the film's underwhelming performance doesn't solely fall on Zegler's shoulders. She wasn't the only controversial casting choice, after all, as Gadot being part of the ensemble is divisive in its own right.

"Snow White" was released amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. As such, Disney's decision to cast Gal Gadot as the film's Evil Queen didn't go down well with people who agree with Rachel Zegler's side of the debate. The "Wonder Woman" star previously served in the Israeli Defense Force and is a vocal critic of Hamas, whom she previously condemned along with everyone who supports the group.

Days before the release of "Snow White," pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian activists showed up at Gadot's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony to support and protest against her, respectively. The backlash against Gadot, combined with Zegler's support for Palestine, essentially dragged Disney's family-friendly film into a debate that's much bigger than any movie.

Gadot's presence also caused "Snow White" to be banned in Lebanon due to her support for Israel. What's more, the decision to outlaw the film was recommended by Ahmad Hajjar, a high-ranking government minister. You just know a film is controversial when the government calls for its banning.

The controversy surrounding "Snow White" was overblown, but there are some valuable lessons to glean from the messy situation. Even though Snow White's seven associates are computer-generated in the movie, Peter Dinklage's comments about the film highlight legitimate concerns held by little people working in Hollywood. He's more qualified than most to talk about this issue, and his concerns should be acknowledged by major studios in regard to their casting habits.

The internet is also wrong about Rachel Zegler, and the backlash against her highlights a massive double standard. Emma Watson's performance as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" didn't receive as much criticism despite the film providing a more modern and enlightened take on a classic Disney story — just like "Snow White" tried to do. Some elements of the original "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" haven't aged well, but Zegler's dislike of previous iterations of the story shouldn't detract from the sentiment that the live-action remake is more inclusive and accessible for modern times.

That said, it's unfortunate that the film was engulfed in political debates due to its casting choices and the actors expressing their views. All Disney wanted to do was create a movie that's fun for the whole family, only for real-world conflicts to overshadow its true intention as a piece of entertainment. Still, the actors involved have the right to discuss their views — whether we agree or not — and the audience has the right to decide if they want to support a movie based on how they feel about the performers. But some of the criticisms being leveled at "Snow White" don't involve anything that happens in the movie itself, and it's actually quite good when solely judged as a piece of filmmaking.