Snow White: Disney’s Crafty Move to Sidestep Rachel Zegler’s Scandals in New Trailer Hasn’t Gone Unnoticed
- Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of 'Snow White' features Rachel Zegler as the title character and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.
- The latest 'Snow White' trailer shifts focus from Zegler to Gadot, seemingly as a strategic move to counteract backlash surrounding Zegler’s comments.
- Zegler has faced criticism for her remarks on reinterpreting Snow White’s character and past political statements.
It is often seen that an actor’s image outside a film is as important as the roles they play. Public reception depends on the balance between personal controversies and professional success, even for the most celebrated actors and movies.
Disney’s upcoming live-action Snow White is an example of what could happen if situations challenge that balance. With Rachel Zegler as the title character, the film has been raising eyebrows, and the latest trailer seems like a deliberate shift of direction.
The Latest Snow White Trailer Seems Like a Strategic Move
Snow White is directed by Marc Webb, starring Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. The film aims at getting a fresh version of the iconic fairy tale, in which Zegler is expected to play a more empowered character than in the 1937 animated original.
The latest trailer of Snow White shows White running to the forest, meeting her dwarf allies, and the famous poisoned apple scene. Zegler is also seen singing the powerful ballad Waiting on a Wish, giving a feeling of an independent arc of her character.
This correlates with comments made by Zegler in an earlier Variety interview about Snow White being “fearless, fair, brave, and true.” However, it also shows a rather interesting shift of focus. While the previous teaser trailer focused on Zegler’s Snow White primarily with few scenes of Gal Gadot, the new trailer gave more screentime to Gadot as compared to Zegler.
This change comes amid increasing controversy due to Zegler’s comments about the film, and netizens are not letting it go without sharing their opinions about it.
Gal Gadot is the only highlight of this.
— ♠️Audsauce♠️ (@Audjuice9989) December 3, 2024
Siding with the Evil Queen here, she's smoking hot. Snow White not so much.
— Johnny Silverhand 🦾 (@WyrmStar) December 3, 2024
We have seen so many Sno White movies before and can only comment once I watch it. I will see this movie only for Gal Gadot
— Priyanka Kandari (@pkandari17) December 3, 2024
The queen is already the fairest of them all https://t.co/bdaaOKSLET pic.twitter.com/d66GO97XZT
— Majewra's Mask (@Majewra) December 3, 2024
It seems like Disney is managing this controversy and accordingly has promoted the Evil Queen due to increasing negativity around Zegler’s comments. The strategic trailer edit looks like something that will work to shift some focus away from Zegler and attempt to counteract the possible negative reception.
Rachel Zegler’s Controversies Might Challenge Snow White‘s Reception
Rachel Zegler’s road to the Snow White role wasn’t something that probably even she was expecting. Initially, the actress faced some criticism for her appearance, as many felt that her looks didn’t align with the traditional look of White.
Then some of her statements about the modern interpretation of the role have caused quite a lot of controversy. During her Variety interview, she said that the movie is not going to be a remake of the original cartoon where Snow White is only saved by the prince, as it is not 1937 anymore. “She’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” said the actress. Zegler also told Extra TV,
The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. So we didn’t do that this time.
The actress probably raised her biggest criticism after Donald Trump’s election victory. Zegler shared passionate messages on Instagram stating that “may Trump supporters and Trump himself never know peace,” which quickly went viral (via Deadline). The comments resulted in outrage and possible boycott calls.
Realizing how her words caused a huge controversy, Zegler later shared a public apology on her Instagram saying, “I let my emotions get the best of me,” and acknowledging that “hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding.”
Insiders told Daily Mail that her comments and the backlash caused by them are causing some tensions among Disney executives as they are worried about Snow White‘s reception as the movie has already suffered due to SAG-AFTRA strikes. However, only time will tell the consequence of the backlash.
Snow White will be released in theaters on March 21, 2025.
