Aside from addressing the heavy backlash, the 'West Side Story' actress says that she is 'really excited' to be 'a Latina princess' in a new interview with Andrew Garfield.
- February 1, 2022
AceShowbiz - Rachel Zegler has responded to backlash against her casting as Snow White for a live-action remake of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". In a new interview, the New Jersey-born actress slammed people who were "angry" after her casting announcement.
In the Monday, January 31 episode of Variety's "Actors on Actors" interview, the "West Side Story" actress told Andrew Garfield about the heavy criticism she received over her casting in Disney's upcoming live-action film remake. "When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry," she said.
"Ah, those people," Andrew replied. "The people that we need to educate. The people that we need to love into awareness." In response, Rachel shared an advice, "We need to love them in the right direction. At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I'm really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess."
Seemingly having had enough with online criticism, Rachel said, "At one point you just have to shut it all off and think, 'If I'm not going to read the bad, I'm just not going to read the good either.' " The "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" actress jokingly added, "There are so many moments where I'm like, 'I'm going to make like Andrew Garfield and get the hell out of here.' "
Of her role, Rachel told Andrew, "Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me." She continued, "You don't normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries."
"Blanca Nieves is a huge icon whether you're talking about the Disney cartoon or just different iterations and the Grimm fairy tale and all the stories that come with it," Rachel noted. "But you don't particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that."
The announcement of her "Snow White" casting came months before audiences saw Rachel's debut performance in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story". For her role as Maria, she nabbed the Golden Globe award for best actress in a musical or comedy.
The "Snow White" remake will be directed by Marc Webb, who also directed "The Amazing Spider-Man". The film's production is set to start this year. "Rachel's extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale," Marc said in a statement last June.
