Rachel Zegler gives an update on the upcoming live-action remake of Snow White. Zegler is in the middle of a meteoric rise following her starring role in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake, for which she received a Golden Globe. She was chosen for the role of Maria after an open casting call posted by the director on Twitter, to which she responded with videos of her performing tunes from the musical during a staged production. The announcement of her casting in the Snow White remake came only months before the release of West Side Story, and is one of a number of projects to which Zegler is attached, which also includes Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
The Disney remake has been in development since 2016, with Marc Webb directing and a screenplay penned by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson. Gal Gadot will be taking on the role of the formidable Evil Queen, who supplies the titular heroine with the poisoned apple, and Andrew Burnap will play Jonathan, a new singing role written for the film. Filming for Snow White has been somewhat stop-and-start, with initial production in March 2020 delayed by the pandemic and a fire in March 2022 bringing proceedings at Pinewood Studios to a halt. Its release date is still to be confirmed.
It appears the Snow White team are still having a good time, however, as Zegler explains to E! on the Grammys red carpet. Describing the process as going really well, she says the set has been a very fun and "magical" atmosphere. Ultimately, Zegler says, she still can't believe she gets the chance to play a Disney princess. Check out her full quote below:
It's going really, really well. We're having so much fun on set, it's so magical. And everyday I'm just pinching myself that I'm a frickin' Disney princess, it's so stupid [laughs].
This is good news for Disney fans, as the production has until this point been marred by controversy. Zegler's casting as Snow White was met with criticism, predominantly from reactionary figures on Twitter who were angry that a Latinx actor was being cast in the role. Speaking on the issue, Zegler was very positive, saying that it was a good step forward and that she was proud to be a Latina princess, displaying a maturity well beyond her years.
It wasn't just the casting that made headlines, however, as acclaimed actor Peter Dinklage publicly criticized the decision to adapt the story earlier this year. Dinklage dismissed Snow White as a backwards story that contains outdated depictions of people with dwarfism, despite the supposed progressiveness of casting a Latina actress in the lead role. Disney responded to his comments by saying that they will be taking a different approach to the original film in the hopes of avoiding stereotypical depictions, which included working with members of the dwarfism community. While this is all well and good, viewers have yet to see a Snow White trailer or set photos, so Disney fans can only hope that the production is running as smoothly as Zegler says.
Source: E! Red Carpet & Awards Shows