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Rachel Zegler is a budding young actress and vocalist in Hollywood. Zegler's career has been distinguished by success and controversy, from her brilliant film debut in Steven Spielberg's musical production of West Side Story to her controversial depiction of Snow White in Disney's future live-action rendition.
Zegler has found herself at the center of the industry's dynamic discussion on representation, advocacy, and the difficulties encountered by up-and-coming talent because of her devotion to fair compensation and prominent engagement in continuing labor campaigns.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
Rachel Zegler's path to stardom: A controversial rise in Hollywood's limelight
Rachel Zegler: Early life and meteoric rise
Rachel Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, to parents Gina and Craig Zegler in 2001. The celeb worked as a wedding singer in churches before her cinematic debut with a remarkable portrayal of María in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (2021).
She was selected from over 30,000 applicants to play the iconic role of Maria. Her performance earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, propelling her into the spotlight.
Soon after, she started grabbing major roles and movies in the industry, like Anthea in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
In 2021, Rachel Zegler was cast as the princess in the live-action musical Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is due for release next year.
The Snow White Casting Controversy
Zegler's casting as Snow White in Disney's upcoming live-action remake sparked considerable debate. The controversy stems from the fact that Zegler is Latina and portrays a character historically depicted as white. The actress was even shocked at being cast as the princess, as Zegler recently told Andrew Garfield as part of Variety’s Actors on Actors series.
The Actress said the following about being cast as a Latina Snow White:
“Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me,”
The actress further added,
“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. But you don’t particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that."
Zegler added,
“When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry.”
Garfield said.
“The people that we need to educate. The people that we need to love into awareness.”
Zegler concluded the interview by saying.
“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.”
The decision to cast a non-white actress in the role raises questions about representation, authenticity, and cultural sensitivity. While some applaud Disney's efforts to diversify its characters, others argue that certain characters should remain faithful to their original ethnic depictions.
The situation worsens when Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, adds that the prince will not save this Snow White. In another viral clip, Rachel Zegler adds,
"She's not going to be dreaming about true love. She's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be."
Zegler's portrayal of Snow White aims to subvert traditional stereotypes associated with the character. Instead of being saved by a prince, this Snow White dreams of becoming a leader and defying gender norms. She even made the matter worse by saying that "It's no longer 1937," which made cult Disney fans so mad that they rained down negative remakes on every story that was put out there about her.
SAG-AFTRA controversy
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA unions have caused historical commotion since they are both presently on strike at the studios' failure to accede to their requests for A.I. restrictions and fairer pay, particularly about streaming residuals.
To better the working conditions for all performers in the studio system, Rachel Zegler is presently on strike alongside the rest of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, while participating in the strike, the Snow White actress made significant requests to Disney.
Here’s what Rachel Zegler had to say while on strike:
“If I’m gonna stand there 18 hours a day in the dress of an iconic Disney Princess,” she says, “I deserve to be paid for every hour that it’s streamed online.”
It is evident from the statement above that Rachel Zegler has placed herself in a precarious situation. Some of her followers predicted a resounding disaster for her future Disney production, while others compared her to other contentious actresses. While others think the actress is sabotaging her career, and one even advised her to stop acting arrogant and draw inspiration from modest actresses.
Navigating the Backlash
When all the information is considered, the degree of the celebrity's retaliation considerably outweighs the relatively insignificant nature of Zegler's actual words. Some fans may have been offended by the comment made regarding the Snow White story, but Disney wants to take a fresh approach with the legendary characters, not the actress. Regarding Zegler's desire to work on a Gen Z Disney princess movie, this is probably not a crime punishable by death.
Regarding the "18 hours in a dress" phrase, while it makes her seem like her millions are insufficient, Zegler is not a spoiled rich celebrity. However, people overlook that this insignificant statement highlights Disney's absence of residual payments. Rachel Ziegler has discussed the industry's economic concerns in more detail and highlighted her luxury compared to lower-paid employees.
In response to a critical comment on social media, Rachel Zegler clarified how her statements on Disney relate to SAG-AFTRA's battle for equal pay.
“My point is: hard work is getting done, hard work is being seen. the people who are doing the hard work deserve to be compensated for the work that is being done as well as the amount of times it is being viewed.”
She further added,
“it is not a hard concept to grasp, I don’t know why everybody hates me for saying it.”
When we consider all the information and Rachel Zegler's recent actions, the response she received truly makes no sense. Her sole mistake was accepting the role of Snow White despite not being white and making some uncensored remarks that infuriated certain Disney cultists. Rachel Zegler is simply an opinionated young woman who doesn't think before she talks, but her heart is in the right place.
Stay tuned for more updates and news as 2023 progresses.
