It’s off to the movies we go! Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is gearing up for its live-action debut starring Rachel Zegler.
Famous for being Disney’s first-ever animated feature, which premiered in 1937, the movie follows the title princess as she moves into a cottage with seven dwarfs after she’s threatened by her evil stepmother, the queen. Previously, the film was reimagined into 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman and its 2016 sequel, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, and the 2012 movie Mirror Mirror.
This time around, Snow White will be getting a modern-day upgrade with the West Side Story actress at the helm. Following the news of her June 2021 casting announcement, Rachel took to Instagram and called the role “a dream come true.”
At the time, the movie’s director Marc Webb told Deadline: “Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.”
Rachel, for her part, received backlash once news broke that she would be appearing as the princess on screen.
“When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry,” the New Jersey native told Variety in February 2022. “We need to love them in the right direction. At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I’m really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess.”
Elsewhere in her interview, the actress shared: “Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me. … You don’t normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries.”
As for what fans can expect to see once the movie premieres, Rachel has stayed quiet about any possible plot details.
“There’s not much I can say about it besides the fact that Snow White has constantly been criticized — even though she’s the original Disney princess and we love her so much — but criticized for existing solely for a prince, existing solely to be rescued,” she told BuzzFeed in December 2021. “And I think that our director, Marc Webb, and everyone who’s working on this film has really taken her narrative and turned it into something that’s a lot stronger. And I’m very, very excited to be able to bring that to life.”
Scroll through our gallery for everything you need to know about the live-action Snow White so far.
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