Rachel Zegler Deserves a Lot Better Than This

A new Variety story essentially blames Zegler for Snow White’s box-office flop. But what kind of precedent is set when a princess is made into a villain for speaking out against a genocide and a fascist?

By Audra Heinrichs  |  March 26, 2025 | 7:20pm
Photo: Getty Images CelebritiesEntertainment
Rachel Zegler Deserves a Lot Better Than This

Since the live-action Snow White was first announced in 2022, rumors of chaos behind the scenes have dominated headlines. Between an alleged feud over opposing political stances to “woke” changes made to the script, a startling pattern emerged: the film’s star, Rachel Zegler, poisoned the apple, so to speak. This week, that narrative continued when Variety reported on the “fiasco” and suggested that Zegler’s social media presence—notably, her denunciation of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the re-election of Donald Trump—caused trouble for Disney, posed a security risk to her co-star, Gal Gadot, sparked a lot of bad press, and ultimately, “trashed the beloved original.”

“She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone,” one source told the publication. The story also includes a claim that not only did the film’s producer Marc Platt fly to New York to speak directly with Zegler about her posts, but that a “social media guru” was hired to rein her in. It should make everyone wonder what kind of precedent one of the most powerful studios is setting when a princess gets made into a villain for daring to take a public stance against a genocide and a fascist?

At this point, it’s a basic fact that most of Hollywood is either hesitant to show public solidarity with Palestinians (and condemn state-sanctioned violence of any kind, for that matter) or would rather rely on a pin to speak for them. Zegler’s decision to do the opposite, despite the inevitable blowback, should at least be protected by the studio who’s benefitting from her labor—yet the majority of the industry remains a place where being vocally anti-genocide is grounds enough for being fired, blacklisted, or smeared. After posting pro-Palestinian sentiments online, Melissa Barrera was terminated from Scream 7 and accused by Spyglass studio of “hate speech” in 2023. That same year, Susan Sarandon was dropped by her representation after speaking at a pro-Palestinian rally. And Bella and Gigi Hadid, who are Palestinian, have reported receiving death threats for their support. As was terrifyingly evidenced this week, even Oscar winners aren’t safe.

Since Zegler was first attached to Snow White, the actor has been publicly pilloried for her identity, as well as her political and social views. When her casting was announced, conservative trolls claimed a Latina Snow White didn’t fall within their traditional confines of the character. “I really, truly do not want to see it,” Zegler tweeted at the time. “I hope every child knows they can be a princess no matter what.” Then, when Zegler publicly declined to sing “Someday My Prince Will Come,” the right declared that Snow White had become “woke garbage.” But the ultimate MAGA meltdown occurred in late 2024, when Zegler tweeted “free Palestine” in August, and then decried the re-election of Donald Trump in November.

“May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,” Zegler posted on her Instagram story the day after the election. Zegler rather succinctly concluded the story: “Fuck Donald Trump.” Days later, following threats of a boycott of the film from conservative crybabies like Megyn Kelly, who cruelly called Zegler a “pig” for her election reaction, Zegler posted a corporate-style apology on her Instagram story, writing, in part: “I am committed to contributing positively towards a better tomorrow.”

Then, ahead of the film’s premiere, an onslaught of speculation about all the behind-the-scenes goings-on made headlines. Again, much of it blamed Zegler—from creating “tension” with Gadot over their political views to putting Disney in a bind over her posts. “Disney’s lead actress is out of control,” a source told Page Six on March 13. “They don’t know what to do…She’s an outspoken 20-something and Disney chiefs have called her directly and asked her to tone down her posts. They’ve called her management, but she won’t listen.”

Meanwhile, Gadot, who’s Israeli and has long been a supporter of Israel, has been positioned by the media as a victim of Zegler’s activism. But Gadot herself served in the Israeli Defense Force and has encouraged her followers to stand with Israel. In November, she also organized a screening of a graphic documentary about October 7. Yet, according to Variety, Disney was forced to “pay for additional security for the mother of four” out of concern. While that may have been valid, it begs the question whether Zegler was offered the same, given she’s been subject to immense backlash from the beginning.

Still, Zegler participated in Snow White‘s press tour, happily posed alongside Gadot and Platt at the Los Angeles premiere, and promoted the film on her social media accounts. And despite its poor showing at the box office and tepid (at best) reviews, it’s Zegler who’s been lauded as “incandescent,” “ideal,” and “princess charming.” Further, she hasn’t addressed any of the insinuations that she’s the problem—though, at this point, I think she has every right to, especially considering Disney has yet to issue a defense against its already beleaguered star and Platt’s own son accused Zegler of hindering the film’s success in a since-deleted Instagram comment.

While Variety may have attempted to answer questions about the film’s multiple controversies, it actually created more of them. Is it standard practice to send a man in a superior position to convince a grown woman to delete her social media posts regarding Palestine or her political views? And if so, isn’t it wildly problematic that said man was Platt, a Jewish man who produced a controversial documentary about October 7 and has openly discussed convincing the Wicked cast not to sign the Artists4Ceasefire petition? Further, did Gadot receive that same conversation? And more generally speaking, are all actors cast in a Disney film discouraged from decry a genocide or a fascist dictator on their personal platforms? Or, are talented people like Zegler simply there to shut up and sing?

Whether or not Disney, a company that purports to uplift women who, in Disney CEO Bob Iger’s own words, are “empowered, have a strong sense of themselves, and are capable of independent thinking and doing,” can actually answer those questions is unclear. But one thing is absolutely certain: Zegler deserves better.

 
Join the discussion...