Snow White had the makings of becoming one of Disney's biggest hits, but things quickly started going wrong for the Marc Webb-helmed adaptation. 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 controversy 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.
Ultimately, 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. On Rotten Tomatoes, it sits at a "Rotten" 38%.
In a new interview with Glamour (via Toonado.com), Zegler addressed the continued criticisms. "Honestly, I’m a duck," the Shazam! Fury of the Gods star said. "It rolls right off my back these days. We just need to normalise our hearts’ not having boundaries. I think that there’s this idea that we as public figures can’t have thoughts or feelings because we are like paper dolls to a majority of the public."
Further reflecting on her Snow White experience, the actress was asked what keeps her grounded amid the continued online discourse.
"My love for the work. I am the one who showed up and did my work every day. Nobody can ever take that away from me. I made lifelong friends on that job," Zegler explained. "That kind of family doesn’t get dissipated by online discourse."
"Every experience I’ve had so far has been such a wonderful lesson learned. I loved working on [Snow White], and I love that film. I’ve seen it a few times, and it [became] number one on streaming on Disney+, so I know that it’s celebrated," she continued. "It was one of those experiences of sometimes negativity being louder than positivity."
Snow White did do well on streaming, but whether that means the movie has been "celebrated" is up for debate. Still, Zegler has bounced back with Evita on London's West End, leaving Snow White behind her.
Many actors have shaken off critical and box office flops with ease, and despite the social media storm, 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).
Do you think Snow White is deserving of the backlash? Let us know in the comments section.