"Y'all still need a hobby fr": Maitreyi Ramakrishnan calls out trolls over Disney live-action Rapunzel rumor backlash

Rumors of Maitreyi Ramakrishnan potentially playing Rapunzel in the live-action Tangled movie recently spread like wildfire. The reports led to a significant backlash against her, who later responded on X.

Alongside Never Have I Ever actress, Mean Girls star Avantika Vandanapu was also rumored to be playing the Disney princess. As such, she was also subject to the backlash Maitreyi received.

On April 9, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan took to X to point out that a Tangled remake is not even in the works for her to be facing online bullying.

"and they finally woke up to realize it was all just rumours and the sources never existed. good job! and to the racists, y’all still need a hobby fr," she said.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan also noted that “racist trolls can just stay basement dwellers” who do not “touch grass.”

The actress addresses the Rapunzel controversy (Image via ramakrishnannn/X)

As she continued to address the criticism she was facing, she noted that playing Rapunzel is her “dream role.” Maitreyi Ramakrishnan added:

"no one’s gonna stop me from literally just TRYING to achieve my dreams. def not racists who are internet historians hahahaha."

The actress addresses the Rapunzel controversy (Image via ramakrishnannn/X)

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"Not feeling bad about saying my dream": Maitreyi Ramakrishnan faced backlash for expressing interest in playing Rapunzel in 2023

This is not the first time the 22-year-old has become the topic of debate online for her interest in taking on the role of the Disney princess. In 2023, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan addressed the criticism she received after she noted in an interview with CBS that her dream role is to play Rapunzel.

On June 15, 2023, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan took to X to share a Spotify link to the I’ve Got a Dream soundtrack from the Tangled movie. She also said:

"anyways… the 'mega fans' who are pressed because I said I’ve got a dream role clearly didn’t listen to the sound track enough."

The actress addresses the Rapunzel controversy (Image via ramakrishnannn/X)

The Canadian actress said in another tweet that she wished to get an audition and “show what I got.”

For those uninitiated, Rapunzel is a fictional character who appears in Disney’s animated movie, Tangled. The protagonist is kept away by Mother Gothel in a secluded tower as the princess possesses magical abilities that can keep Gothel young and beautiful forever.

However, Rapunzel is unaware of her royal heritage and eventually makes her way back home alongside her love interest, Flynn Rider.

The movie is based on the Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel fairytale and stars Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.

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Avantika Vandanapu also faced backlash for supposedly being cast in the non-existent Rapunzel live-action

According to BuzzFeedNews’ findings, an unidentified X user tweeted in March that Mean Girls actress Avantika Vandanapu was called for screen testing alongside Milo Manheim, who was playing Flynn Rider in the live-action remake.

The X user then recognized that the actress was receiving criticism as ardent Disney fans wished to see a blonde-haired and blue-eyed actress, similar to the animated character cast in the film. The netizen said:

"I tweeted it for fun but people took it seriously and decided to be racist."

As mentioned prior, a Rapunzel live-action remake is not in the works. Vandanapu had not taken to the internet to respond to the controversy at the time of writing this article.

Dedicated Disney followers have been critical of actresses of color taking on the role of Disney princesses in the past as well. Singer Halle Bailey was subjected to mass social media slander after being cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid.