Just like The Little Mermaid before it, the upcoming Disney live-action adaptation of Snow White has turned out to be a magnet for controversy. This time, however, the lead actor, Rachel Zegler, who’s going to play the titular damsel in distress, seems to have invited scandal with open hands after publicly bashing the original.

In a series of interviews, the 22-year-old West Side Story actress openly expressed her strong dislike for Disney’s original 1937 classic and its portrayal of the ‘stalker’ Prince. During one interview, Zegler pointed out that she found the relationship between the princess and the prince to be “weird.”

She highlighted that the storyline has been altered to support a more modern message that moves beyond traditional romantic love and instead emphasizes the empowerment of women – just like Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking Barbie did in July. Unsurprisingly, Gerwig has co-written the screenplay.

Recently, Rachel Zegler who’s going to play Snow White in the upcoming Disney remake slammed the original story

Image credits: The Walt Disney Company

“She’s 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, and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true,” Zegler told Variety last September.

Of course, many people took offense that Zegler is meddling with the original storyline of an animated classic. Among them was David Hand, the son of the original 1937 Snow White director who shares the same name.

“She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be,” the West Side Story actress said in an interview

Image credits: rachelzegler

Image credits: rachelzegler

The 91-year-old, who worked as a designer for Disney in the ’90s, argued that a lot of the younger generation, including Zegler, “have never seen the original” and “don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“I mean, it’s a whole different concept, and I just totally disagree with it, and I know my dad and Walt would also very much disagree with it,” Hand explained to The Telegraph.

“I think it’s pathetic that people feel that way… these are art forms in the world of film today.”

In return, David Hand, the son of the original 1937 Snow White director, has come out criticizing Zegler and Disney’s “woke” remakes

Image credits: gzeg

Image credits: lionsgate

“They change the stories, they change the thought processes of the characters, they just aren’t the original stories anymore,” he said

Image credits: rachelzegler

Image credits: Disney

Mr. Hand also criticized Disney for trying to reinvent classical stories such as The Little Mermaid and Snow White instead of coming up with original concepts.

“They change the stories, they change the thought processes of the characters, they just aren’t the original stories anymore. They’re making up new woke things and I’m just not into any of that.

“Pick on something else… create new characters, if you’re gonna do this, but don’t destroy or try to destroy something that is a classic and is a beautiful piece”.

In fact, Mr. Hand was so displeased with the recent news regarding Disney’s remake that he believes Walt Disney and his dad “would be turning in their graves” seeing what the beloved classics are being turned into.

“Pick on something else… create new characters, if you’re gonna do this, but don’t destroy or try to destroy something that is a classic and is a beautiful piece.”

Image credits: extratv

However, despite the controversy surrounding Zegler as the new Snow White, some fans defended the casting choice

Image credits: OrReveluv

According to interviews, it was a lifelong dream of Zegler’s to play Snow White on-screen

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Image credits: rachelzegler

These remarks, combined with the mismatch between the actress’ skin tone and her Polish-Colombian heritage and the expectations of various online critics, resulted in Zegler’s name being swamped with somewhat racist comments condemning her casting – a situation that closely mirrors the harassment Halle Bailey, the African-American actress, encountered when she secured the lead role in The Little Mermaid.

Zegler expressed her gratitude to her fans, but she also said she no longer wants to engage with the “nonsensical discourse” surrounding her playing Snow White.

“Extremely appreciative of the love I feel from those defending me online, but please don’t tag me in the nonsensical discourse about my casting,” she tweeted in July, adding, “I really, truly do not want to see it.”

In a now-deleted Tweet, the actress also said: “yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role (sic).”

This is the first behind-the-scenes look at Rachel as the new Snow White

First look at Rachel Zegler on the set of SNOW WHITE! pic.twitter.com/9TjtK0mvhK

— More Butter 🧈 (@morebuttertv) May 20, 2022

Recently, a TikTok went viral after its author heard the young actress bashing the original Snow White for not being feminist enough

@cosywithangie Just because a woman values something different, does not make her any less valuable. Some women want a career and not marriage. Some women want a marriage or family and not a job. Some women want BOTH. All are to be heard, and seen, and valued. Write stories about ALL women and depict them ALL as valuable and worthy, instead of trying to mold them into one specific image of what you deem worthy. Thank you. #snowwhite #snowwhiteliveaction #snowwhitecontroversy #disney ♬ original sound – Angie | Self Care

However, this is not the first time that Ms. Zegler didn’t come across as a fan of the film she worked on. In March, she told The Hollywood Reporter that the only reason she stepped into the role of Anthea in Shazam! Fury of the Gods is because she “needed a job.”

Snow White is set to hit the screens in March 2024.

People were split over the controversy surrounding Rachel Zegler and Disney’s live-action remakes

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