Snow White had the potential to be one of Disney's most successful live-action adaptations, but things quickly started going wrong for filmmaker Marc Webb's adaptation of the classic 1937 cartoon.
It began with the "controversial" colour-blind casting of Rachel Zegler, and only worsened when the Seven Dwarfs were dropped from the story.
Original plans called for a "politically correct" group of Bandits to take their place, though fan backlash led to extensive reshoots, and the Seven Dwarfs were added to the live-action remake as fully CG monstrosities.
Additional backlash stemmed from Zegler's repeated criticisms of the original film and President Donald Trump, as well as her and co-star Gal Gadot's opposing views on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. That resulted in calls for boycotts from those on both sides.
While the racist backlash likely would have blown over in time, bringing politics into the mix and dismissing the original movie as being outdated alienated even the most hardcore of Disney fans. When all was said and done, Snow White was a critical and commercial flop, grossing a mere $206 million worldwide on a combined production and marketing budget of upwards of $350 million.
Reviews also weren't favourable, with Snow White receiving the dreaded green splat on Rotten Tomatoes with a 39% score from critics.
Talking to Harper's Bazaar (via Toonado.com), Zegler opened up on how she was affected by those who criticised her Colombian heritage, calling it "really confusing," as it followed complaints about her playing María in West Side Story due to Zegler having a white father.
"I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for 'West Side Story' and too much of another for 'Snow White,'" she said. "I grew up proud of being Colombian. Eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult."
"But I do think there’s an argument to be made that, in the public eye at least, when you’re two things, you’re simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else’s comfort."
Asked about her decision to express support for Palestine while promoting Snow White, the actress said that she stands by her decision and views the controversy as "a complete study in intent versus impact."
"You live and you learn, and there’s a caution that comes with that," Zegler noted. "There’s an understanding that the temptation to speak doesn’t always mean that it must be done, and that there are a lot of opportunities to make more meaningful change than a tweet."
"If I’d been able to predict everything that would come my way, the threats to my safety, I would have just thrown my phone into the ocean," she added. "I think any sane person would have."
Zegler bounced back with Evita on London's West End, leaving Snow White behind her, and many actors have shaken off critical and box office flops with ease. Plus, despite the social media storm, many audiences and critics appeared to respond positively to her take on the Disney Princess (Gadot's Evil Queen, however, was widely panned and even more widely ridiculed).
Snow White is now streaming on Disney+.