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On his podcast, Stay Free with Russell Brand, which aired on Rumble, British actor and comedian Russell Brand spoke out in support of actress Rachel Zegler amid the backlash surrounding the remake of Disney's live-action Snow White.
On April 27, 2025, Russell Brand uploaded a clip of the podcast on X, captioned:
"Give Rachel Zegler a break. I know what it’s like to have smoke blown up your a** and deal with nonstop online critique—been there myself, being in movies."`
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In the clip, Russell Brand urged critics to ease up on Rachel Zegler. Reflecting on his early days in Hollywood, he related to Zegler's experience, describing the intense judgment and pressure that often comes with sudden fame.
Reflecting on the highs of being in Hollywood and the lows of addiction and personal struggles, Russell explained that he often faced criticism for his movies that did not perform as well as Titanic or Marvel hits.
"Do you know where I come from? Do you know that I've been a crack and heroin addict? Do you know what I've lived through?" Russell Brand said.
Russell Brand added that while his films may not have been massive hits, he did not let them define his fame or success in Hollywood. Brand explained that he was deeply involved in the industry and focused on learning from experience.
"Do you think that I can be busted up with "Get Him To The Greek was not as successful as Titanic or any one of the Marvel movies?". Yeah, but it's not more or less being in Hollywood. I was living there and being around Hollywood all the time and observing it, and going to Warner Brothers studios, meeting with people and studio heads and all that kind of stuff. I've seen it and I've been in it," Russell Brand added.
What sparked the controversy surrounding Snow White lead actress Rachel Zegler
The remake of the 1973 original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered on April 15, 2025. However, its release has been marked by an avalanche of controversies, including criticism over casting decisions, comments made by the lead actress Rachel Zegler, and her rumored feud with co-star Gal Gadot.
The controversy stems back to 2022, when right-wing commentators like Ben Shapiro and conservative fans criticised Rachel's casting as Snow White, pointing towards her Colombian heritage, critiques argued that the role should reflect the original description of snow white as the "fairest of them all" and skin "as white as the snow".
In a discussion with movie reviewer The Critical Drinker, Ben Shapiro remarked:
"I don't care about the skin color of the characters, but when the literal line from the movie is skin as white as snow, and that's why her name is Snow White, so why is her name Snow White? I'm confused."
In an interview with Variety in October 2024, Rachel Zegler addressed the backlash by offering insights into the remake of Disney's live-action reimagined storyline.
“It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby, so the king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience," Rachel Zegler said.
The controversy further intensified when Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who has dwarfism himself, criticised the film, calling it a backwards story during an episode of Marc Maron's WTF podcast in 2022.
"Literally no offense to anything, but I was a little taken aback because they're very proud to cast a a Latina actress as Snow White, but you're still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you're doing because that makes no sense to me," Peter Dinklage said.
Later that year, Zegler stirred further debates with comments on Extra TV about how the remake would differ from the 1937 original.
"It's not about the love story with a guy who literally stalks her, Weird! Weird!" Rachel Zegler stated.
In other interviews, both Zegler and Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Witch in the remake, remarked:
"She's[Snow White] not going to be saved by the prince, and she's not going to be dreaming about true love. She's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be. It's really not about the love story."
This statement went viral on TikTok, and according to NBC News, viewers argued that not all characters can be "girl bosses".
The backlash intensified again following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election. Zegler posted on her Instagram,
"Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace".
Additionally, there have also been reports of tensions between Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler due to conflicting views on the Hamas-Israel conflict.
On a budget of $270 million, the live-action only added $44.3 million overseas and earned an estimated $87.3 million at the global box office, according to The Times of India.
