The Hollywood premiere for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Snow White will be ‘scaled back’ amid the backlash surrounding its stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot.
Despite spending upward of $269.4 million to make the film, which has been plagued with controversy and setbacks, Variety revealed that Disney would not be giving the movie the same red carpet treatment as other similar projects.
While Zegler, 23, and Gadot, 39, are expected to be at attendance at a pre-party and screening for Snow White, held at the El Capitan Theatre on March 15, ‘coverage will be limited to photographers and a house crew.’
While most premieres invite dozens of media outlets to cover the event and interview the cast, the studio has decided to buck tradition in this case.
The choice comes amid criticism and fears that the remake prioritized ‘woke’ messaging over authentic storytelling.
Since casting Zegler, toxic Disney fans have nitpicked every deviation from the classic fairy tale, from shifting away from the traditional romance plot to reimagining the Seven Dwarfs as a diverse group of ‘magical creatures’ of all heights, gender and race.
The Hollywood premiere for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Snow White will be ‘scaled back’ amid the backlash surrounding its stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot
Zegler, who was cast in the titular role, previously criticized David Hand’s 1937 original animated film as ‘extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman is fit for in the world.’
‘The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so,’ Rachel scoffed to Extra TV in 2022.
‘There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. So we didn’t do that this time.’
‘We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie,
‘All of Andrew’s scenes could get cut, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!’ she joked, before admitting in a separate interview that she was ‘terrified’ when she went on the beloved Snow White ride at Disney World.
About the 1937 film, she said: ‘I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again. I’m being so serious.’
That same year, Zegler told Variety that her version of Snow White would be dreaming about becoming a ‘fearless leader’ rather than ‘dreaming about true love.’
‘For Snow White, there’s a famous scene where she falls into a lake, through a trapdoor-type thing in a forest. And we did it, and I got scuba diving training so that I could spend a long time underwater,’ the Golden Globe winner explained to Cosmo.
Despite spending upward of $269.4 million to make the film, which has been plagued with controversy and setbacks, Variety revealed that Disney would not be giving the movie the same red carpet treatment as other similar projects
While Zegler, 23, and Gadot, 39, are expected to be at attendance at a pre-party and screening for Snow White, held at the El Capitan Theatre on March 15, ‘coverage will be limited to photographers and a house crew’ (Zegler and Gadot seen in 2022)
‘You learn how to use a breathing tube. I had this guy named Pete, who is ex-Navy, attached to me at all times, tethered to me. And essentially I spent…I want to say a total of 48 hours training. And then shot for two whole days. It was seven hours underwater.’
Sources previously revealed to DailyMail.com that Zegler’s reputation as a ‘loose cannon’ nearly got her axed from her lead role in Snow White.
Zegler’s strong opinions have prompted some haters to vow to boycott the film.
Since her rapid rise to superstardom, after beating out 30,000 actresses for the part of María Vasquez in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of West Side Story, the actress has endured ruthless criticism.
This includes facing racist backlash over her casting as Snow White in Disney’s 2025 live-action remake of the animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and horrific trolling for sharing her stance on political issues.
The choice comes amid criticism and fears that the remake prioritized ‘ woke ‘ messaging over authentic storytelling; pictured in 2022
While reflecting on the racist comments made on social media about her casting as Snow White, Zegler insisted to THR, last year, that she doesn’t even try to wrap her head why ‘Disney adults’ would have a problem with someone Latina portraying the beloved princess.
Zegler proceeded to reveal that the line describing her character’s ‘skin as white as snow’ will reference ‘another version of Snow White that was told in history,’ in which the character ‘survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby.’
‘The king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience,’ the Hackensack native noted. ‘One of the core points in our film for any young woman or young person is remembering how strong you actually are.’
The star also admitted that it was ‘sad’ to see so many people rip her apart for teasing that her version of Snow White would not not be saved by a prince.
‘In all honesty, it made me sad that it was taken in such a way, because I believe that women can do anything. But I also believe that they can do everything,’ she explained. ‘It can be very upsetting when things get taken out of context or jokes don’t land.’
Zegler went on to make it clear that the ‘love story is very integral’ and that it wasn’t true that her remake wouldn’t feature any romance.
Since casting Zegler, toxic Disney fans have nitpicked every deviation from the classic fairy tale, from shifting away from the traditional romance plot to reimagining the Seven Dwarfs as a diverse group of ‘magical creatures’ of all heights, gender and race
Rachel was previously labelled ‘a walking PR disaster for Disney’ having made controversial comments about her role
‘I’ve watched women get torn down my whole life, my whole career,’ she said. ‘We’ll watch it in the election that’s upcoming. We’re gonna witness that for a long time, I fear. Sometimes it can feel like we’re going back; it certainly felt that way when that was happening.’
Although she is tempted to leave social media, at times, she confessed that she doesn’t like to give trolls the ‘satisfaction of knowing they hurt me in the moment.’
‘You give them a lot of power by taking a social media break,’ she pointed out.
Over the years, she has used her platforms to champion causes that are important to her.
During the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023, she spoke about the possible dangers of AI as she recalled having like ‘465 photos taken of every corner’ of her body for CG stunts.
Snow White is due to hit theaters across country on March 21
‘It was f**king dystopian,’ she said. ‘I was really scared of being replaced by an artificial intelligence version of myself that they scanned when I was 18 and then never being able to work on a set again. What was stopping them from using that for the rest of my life?’
She’s also advocated for Palestinians.
‘I can’t watch children die,’ she told the outlet. ‘I don’t think that should be a hot take… We’re nearing one year since the horrendous attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, but I’ve been following this conflict for so many years. Like so many people, I’m so heartbroken by the loss of life that we’re seeing with these insane death tolls coming out of both regions.’
Still, she acknowledges that she doesn’t ‘have the answers.’
‘I don’t think any celebrity making a political statement has the answers. But we have the platform to share a donation link to make sure that these people get the money, the care and the aid that they need that people in power aren’t giving them. If that means that it can fall upon us to be in power in a way that is helpful, then I’m happy to do it,’ she said.
