Rachel Zegler on the ‘Really Confusing’ Backlash Over Her ‘Snow White’ Casting
In a March 2026 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Rachel Zegler spoke candidly about the wave of criticism she faced after being cast as the lead in Disney’s Snow White. She called the backlash “really confusing” — and went on to discuss her cultural identity, threats to her safety and the mentors who helped her through it.
Caught Between Two Identities
For Zegler, who has Colombian heritage, the Snow White criticism was not the first time her background became a flashpoint. She told Harper’s Bazaar she had previously faced criticism about her background when she starred as Maria in West Side Story, the Steven Spielberg-directed musical.
The conflicting nature of the backlash across both projects left her struggling to make sense of it.
“I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for ‘West Side Story’ and too much of another for Snow White,” Zegler said.
That contradiction sits at the heart of a broader experience Zegler described during the interview. She told Harper’s Bazaar that her cultural identity has always been an important part of her life, and she spoke warmly about the traditions that shaped her upbringing.
“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 and Threats to Her Safety
The casting backlash was not the only controversy 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 was swift and, according to Zegler, frightening. She said the response to the post included threats.
“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,” Zegler said. “I think any sane person would have.”
With the benefit of time, 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.”
Finding Support From Unexpected Places
During one of the most difficult stretches, Zegler said support came from an unexpected source: her castmates on Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
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 of experienced colleagues clearly made an impression.
That experience, Zegler said, has since influenced how she approaches supporting other actors facing similar pressures.
Paying It Forward
Zegler pointed specifically to Whitney Peak, who was cast in a new installment of The Hunger Games. Zegler recently played Lucy Gray Baird in a 2023 installment called The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, 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.
