"Billions of dollars down the drain": Snow White backlash intensifies as Rachel Zegler interview resurfaces online

Hollywood is gearing up for the 2024 musical "Snow White," featuring actress Rachel Zegler in the lead role. The film is currently in its post-production stage. In a September 2023 interview with Variety, Rachel Zegler, alongside co-actor Gal Gadot, made a comment about the upcoming film that has recently resurfaced on social media and is being labeled as "woke" by some right-wingers.

During the interview, Zegler stated that the remake would be nothing like the 1937 cartoon version. She emphasized that the film would take a modern approach, portraying Snow White as a strong character who doesn't need to be saved by the prince but can save herself.

Conservatives unearthed the video online over the weekend and have been backlashing both Zegler and the film’s characterization of Snow White. One user even commented under @EndWokeness’ Twitter post sharing the clipping of the interview:

A netizen sharing his dismay at the upcoming film. (Image via Twitter/Ishant)

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“Hollywood is programming young girls to hate men”: Snow White earns wild criticism online

Last autumn, as part of the Variety interview, when Rachel Zegler was asked what did she mean when she said she was bringing a modern edge to the 2024 remake, she replied:

“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937 and we absolutely wrote a Snow White who’s not gonna be saved by the prince. And she’s not gonna be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming a leader.”

Rachel Zegler with some help from her co-actor Gal Gadot clarified how the modern-day princess was going to take on her father's advice and was aiming to become a different version of a leader.

“She was fearless, fair, brave, and true.”

She added how it would be an “incredible story for young people everywhere to see themselves in” before chuckling at how Snow White was running for President and she was launching her campaign.

Over the last weekend, this particular footage resurfaced online and has been trending ever since. While many support Zegler’s view of the modern-day retelling of the fairy tale classic, conservatives have slammed it as “woke” and do not seem to appreciate the character’s taking on a more active role as opposed to needing to be saved by her Prince Charming.

Here is how the netizens slammed the upcoming film and its lead actress' comments:

A netizen asks who approved such a production that has no link to the original story. (Image via Twitter/Lazy Al)

A netizen says the makers lack the originality to write a proper script. (Image via Twitter/Travelin' Shoes)

A netizen slams the upcoming remake of the classic fairy tale. (Image via Twitter/Ridin' Time)

A netizen calls the Disney production "woke." (Image via Twitter/Edward Russel)

A netizen feels that teaching girls they don't need rescuing from men is backdated. (Image via Twitter/Greta)

A tweet accusing the makers of trying to erase the original plot. (Image via Twitter/Positive conclusions)

A netizen asking Zegler to read the original version of the fairy tale. (Image via Twitter/Josh Allan)

An internet user warns that the film will be a flop. (Image via Twitter/Boogin)

Interestingly, the criticism comes in the wake of Snow White set photos leaked online last week by The Daily Mail, which were trolled. It also revealed that the original idea of seven dwarfs was dropped and replaced by dwarfs having varied races, genders, and heights. A spokesperson for Disney which is producing the film told The Hollywood Reporter:

“To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.”

Rachel Zegler on the other hand thanked her fans for defending her interview while asking them not to drag her name in a tweet.

Snow White will be a musical fantasy adaptation of the original fairy tale and will be directed by Marc Webb. The screenplay has been written by Barbie maker Greta Gerwig in collaboration with Erin Cressida Wilson. Primarily produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is also co-produced by Marc Platt Productions.

In this live-action remake, Rachel Zegler plays the titular role, while Gal Gadot plays the role of the Evil Queen. It is slated to release in March 2024.