Rachel Zegler supported by fans following release of divisive Snow White trailer

Zegler’s casting in the lead role generated controversy from critics who were unhappy about the fictional character being portrayed by a person of colour

The first official trailer for Disney’s live-action version of their animated classic Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler, has been unveiled and fans have been defending the lead star against a wave of backlash.

The film which stars Zegler as a Latina Snow White, also features Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot as the evil queen, and the seven dwarfs, whose inclusion had drawn criticism from Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage.

The actor called the dwarf element of the story “f***ing backwards,” adding: “I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. You’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the f*** are you doing man?”

The new film, by 500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb, follows Snow White after the wicked queen, who is also her mother, orders her murder. Fleeing from the peril, Snow White makes her way into a forest and discovers the seven dwarfs in a cottage.

Zegler’s casting in the lead role generated a huge amount of controversy from conservative critics who were unhappy about the fictional character being portrayed by a person of colour.

Following the release of the film, Zegler has been supported by her fans, who have been sharing their excitement for the film, which will be released in cinemas in March 2025.

“Her voice alone will carry this whole film,” said one fan.

“Are people really just mad about Rachel Zegler because she’s not white enough for them? The real issue is how fake the Dwarves look,” said another.

“Rachel Zegler they can never make me hate you,” said a third.

Rachel Zegler (Getty)

In a conversation with fellow actor and singer Halle Bailey forVariety’s Actors on Actors series, from December 2023, Zegler responded to the online trolls, saying she feels “so thankful for those moments because they make me feel like solid Teflon”.

“That nothing can hurt anymore because they’ve said the worst that can be said,” she explicated. “You just say, ‘Thank you so much for this. I have a lot of love in my life, and I’m very thankful.’ We get to do our work and have that speak for itself instead.”

She shared that “choosing thankfulness and gratefulness is choosing peace”. “As much as you’d like to remind people verbally that being in the spotlight doesn’t absolve you of your humanity – that you’re allowed to have human moments – it doesn’t necessarily do what you want it to do. It fuels them more,” she acknowledged.

“So it’s choosing to be present and know that they’re probably just having a really hard day. And I’m putting out a movie.”