We haven't even seen a single official promo image (though some set photos certainly caused a stir) for Disney's upcoming live-action remake of Snow White, but the project has still managed to become mired in controversy over the past few weeks.
There's always a commotion online whenever Disney announces a new live-action re-imagining, but the news that this story would shift focus from the romance between Snow White and the prince and replace the seven dwarfs with seven bandits really didn't sit very well with fans of the animated classic, nor did star Rachel Zegler's comments about the original being outdated and problematic.
A lot of this has been blown way out of proportion, of course, but whether the reactions to her recent interviews are warranted or not, it is probably fair to say that Zegler is not the most popular pick to play the iconic character!
Now, it's come to light that another actress almost landed the role.
While chatting to the Hablemos De CIne Con podcast (via The DisInsider), up-and-coming actress Renata Vaca, who has a role in the upcoming Saw X, revealed that she was one of the finalists to play Snow White before losing out on the part to Zegler.
"We started the casting. I did it. He gave me some annotations. They said ‘Thank you’ and that’s it. I think I needed more to make that decision. Besides, Rachel Zegler is so talented. To me is like ‘No Way!’ Marc Webb directed me, even if it’s just for a casting call. I was Snow White there and they saw me as Snow White at some point. Maybe one day Disney will call me again to be a princess."
The casting call is said to have been "open ethnicity," but the part being narrowed down to Zegler (Colombian) and Vaca (Mexican) would seem to indicate that Disney always had a Latina actress in mind to play Snow White.
Recent rumors doing the rounds claimed that the movie had been "cancelled" proved to be non-founded, but there is a chance its release date could be pushed back, so watch this space for updates.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.