Rachel Zegler Calls ‘Snow White’ Casting Backlash ‘Really Confusing,’ Opens Up About Threats and Identity
In a candid March 2026 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, actress Rachel Zegler addressed the wave of criticism she faced over her casting as the lead in Disney’s Snow White, the online threats that followed her social media posts and the contradictory attacks on her cultural identity across two major film roles.
Conflicting Criticism Across Two Roles
Zegler, who has Colombian heritage, told Harper’s Bazaar that the Snow White backlash was not the first time her background became a flashpoint. She said she had previously faced criticism about her background when she starred as Maria in the Steven Spielberg-directed West Side Story.
“I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for ‘West Side Story’ and too much of another for Snow White,” Zegler said.
She described the experience of being caught between identities, telling the magazine that her cultural identity has always been an important part of her life.
“I grew up proud of being Colombian,” she said. “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.”
Social Media Posts and Threats
The casting controversy was not the only backlash Zegler addressed. During the press tour for Snow White, she also faced criticism after posting on social media in support of Palestine.
In 2024, days after unveiling the first trailer for Snow White at the D23 Expo fan event, Zegler posted on X thanking fans for their support before adding, “And always remember, free Palestine.”
The response included threats to her safety, Zegler said.
“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 said. “I think any sane person would have.”
Reflecting on the experience, Zegler expressed a more measured view of how she uses her platform.
“You live and you learn, and there’s a caution that comes with that,” she said. “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.”
Support From Veteran Costars
During one of the most difficult stretches, Zegler said support came from an unexpected source: her castmates on Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
She said Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, who spent time with her while she was working in Atlanta, offered advice about navigating the entertainment industry. For a young actress weathering a public firestorm, the guidance clearly made an impression.
That experience has since influenced how she approaches supporting other actors facing similar pressures, Zegler said.
Reaching Out to the Next Generation
Zegler pointed specifically to Whitney Peak, who was cast in a new installment of The Hunger Games. Zegler recently played Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes in 2023, so the franchise holds personal significance for her.
When Peak was cast, Zegler said she reached out directly.
“That’s why when Whitney Peak got cast in the new Hunger Games, I reached out to say, ‘I’m here, even though I hope to God you don’t need me,’” Zegler said. “And the next time a woman of colour is cast as a Disney princess, I’ll be there with bells on to support them, to lift them up, to advise and to tell them what not to do.”
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
