Shocking new claims about woke Snow White star Rachel Zegler, as Disney ramps up damage control after controversy
Snow White star Rachel Zegler is 'out of control' and causing major headaches for Disney ahead of the movie's release, an insider has revealed.
A source told Page Six the company 'doesn't know what to do' with Zegler, 23, because of her repeated insistence on airing her progressive views.
While Zegler was put front-and-centre of the film's European 'premiere', the leading lady wasn't given the chance to speak to any global press - because they weren't invited to the secret event.
She jetted off to a remote castle in Segovia, Spain, to perform for around 100 select 'VIPs' which included influencers and families, though the event raised eyebrows as she was the only star in attendance, with not even Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, present.
Disney are reportedly treading carefully with Zegler after she has made a series of bold comments panning the original 1937 classic for its 'sexist' traditional romance plot and 'dated' love story.
'Disney's lead actress is out of control,' a source told Page Six. '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.
'It's been this way the entire way through filming. But it's the tying of her politics to Snow White that is upsetting.'
Wednesday's European event was carefully not referred to as a premiere after Disney scaled back the glitzy global premieres in favour of 'tightly controlled' press events following the scandals and PR nightmares surrounding the film.
Rather than the usual list of major news outlets flocking to the event, local Spanish influencers and families from the small city of Segovia, which boasts a population of just 51,000, were among the chosen 'VIPs' in attendance.
Zegler's co-star Gadot was also absent, with only director Marc Webb accompanying Zegler to the event.
The scaled-back European event replaced the glitzy London premiere that had been expected for the high-budget release. An LA event is also said to have been scaled back.
Earlier this month, an insider told the Mail: 'Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled Press events.
'That is why they have taken the highly unusual step not to host a London premiere for the film and are minimising the amount of Press questions that Rachel Zegler gets.'
Later this week, the cast will return to the States, with Zegler and Gadot expected attend a pre-party and screening at Los Angeles' El Capitan Theatre on March 15, where 'coverage will be limited to photographers and a house crew'.
'Disney is leaning towards having influencers to interview Rachel and Gal for promotion days on Sunday and Monday,' an industry insider told Page Six. 'They want to concentrate on the content.'
There didn't even appear to be many big names from influencer circles in attendance at the European event, as the Spanish content creators in the crowd boasted mere thousands of followers, rather than millions.
In a further sign that Press were kept away from the event, the date of the premiere was not confirmed on media calendars before it got underway on Wednesday.
In another huge blow for the film, Zegler even refused to sing the beloved song Some Day My Prince Will Come from the 1937 classic, stating it was 'weird' that the movie focused on Snow White's 'love story with a guy who literally stalks her'.
'We didn't do that this time. I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again,' Zegler told Variety in 2022.
Instead, at the European event, Zegler belted out brand new feminist anthem Waiting On A Wish as she gave fans a taste of what to expect when the $270million remake hits theatres on March 21.
Zegler said her character is 'not going to be saved by the prince. She's not going to be dreaming about true love. She's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be', when she spoke at the Disney expo last year.
'She's dreaming about becoming the leader that her late father told her she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true,' she later gushed to Variety as her co-star Gadot smiled beside her.
Zegler has also criticised David Hand's 1937 original animated film as 'extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power' and admitted she has only seen it once.
'The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so,' she told 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.' The 'guy' she is referring to, Andrew Burnap, plays a man named Jonathan.
'All of Andrew's scenes could get cut, who knows? It's Hollywood, baby!' Zegler joked.
Additionally, Zegler's pro-Palestine stance is also proving problematic for Disney bosses, who are said to have repeatedly called her and her agents to try to get her to tone down her social media posts on the issue.
Disney executives trumpeted the casting of Zegler, who is Latina, as evidence of their progressive approach.
Reflecting on comments made on social media about her casting as Snow White, Zegler insisted 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,' she 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 be saved by a prince.
Box office figures suggest Disney's move towards diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which also included putting content warnings on classics such as Dumbo, has alienated some fans.
Zegler's comments and the direction of the new Snow White movie have upset David Hale Hand, the son of the late David Hand, who was the supervising director for the original cartoon.
'The original was the way it should be. From what I've read, [the new film] bears no reflection to the original story,' said Hand, 93, who revealed he won't be watching the new release. 'It's so far off base that it's ridiculous.'
He added that the changes are enough to make his father and Walt Disney 'roll in their graves'.
His wife Sandra Hand also told Page Six: 'They've taken it and moved into the politics of what is woke.
'They're taking a beautiful and beautifully drawn story and destroying what was Snow White.
'Why can't they just leave it alone instead of coming up with a different story - make it a totally different character?
'David's father took so much pride in the film and he would say, "What have you done?"
And he is not the only one to have become disgruntled as Martin Klebba, who voices the dwarf Grumpy, has slammed Disney for its decision to scale back the film's premiere.
Klebba, 55, expressed his disappointment, with TMZ reporting that the actor is 'seriously bummed and a bit p**sed' at the situation as he argued it should have got better red-carpet treatment.
He argued that Zegler and Gadot's political opinions should not 'have overshadowed everyone else's hard work'.
Zegler was recently forced to apologize after she shared an Instagram post in which she wished that President Trump and his supporters would 'never know peace' after he won the election.
The situation has become so precarious for Disney that the media conglomerate is reportedly trying to ditch traditional red carpet interviews over fears the premiere could become embroiled in controversy.
As well as contending with Zegler's views, bosses are having to tread carefully after another of the film's stars, Israeli actress Gal Gadot, was hit with a petition to bar her from the Oscars over her outspoken support for her homeland amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
And while Disney has been patting itself on the back over its diverse cast, it has also come under criticism for its presentation of the Seven Dwarves.
Jackass star Jason Acuña, who played 'Wee Man' and has a form of dwarfism, initially expressed anger after test shots showed actors without the condition playing the roles.
'You're replacing jobs that people could have as little people,' he told Movie Maniac in 2023. 'It's for dwarfs. Why are you hiring "Snow White and the seven average people"?'
In trailers it has since emerged that the Seven Dwarfs have been generated using CGI, a decision director Marc Webb insists he made right from the start.
Meanwhile, actor Peter Dinklage, who played Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, questioned the decision to include the characters at all.
'They were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but you're still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you're doing there,' Dinklage told podcaster Marc Maron last year.
Disney is said to be terrified the constant drumbeat of bad publicity will put moviegoers off seeing Snow White.
The entertainment giant has vowed to move away from woke, preachy movies and TV shows.
But Snow White and the casting of Zegler came during a period when Disney was all-in on DEI-type policies, meaning the movie may struggle to cast off that reputation.
