(Image Source: Harper's Bazaar)
Rachel Zegler, who became a target of global online backlash due to casting controversies and various inflammatory remarks surrounding Disney's live-action "Snow White," had previously addressed the public's criticism during the film's promotional tour, even admitting she had sought help from a psychiatrist due to the immense pressure. Now, in a recent interview with "Harper's Bazaar" to promote her upcoming stage play "The Last Five Years," Zegler once again discussed the widespread online disapproval of her casting in "Snow White."
(Image Source: Harper's Bazaar)
Zegler expressed her frustration, noting that when she was cast in the 2021 adaptation of "West Side Story," some online critics deemed her "not Latina enough" due to her mixed heritage. Conversely, after landing the role of "Snow White," her Latina background led others to claim she wasn't "white enough." She quoted, "Someone said I didn't have enough of one quality to play 'West Side Story,' and then I had too much of another quality to play 'Snow White.' Hearing those words in my early twenties was truly confusing."
(Image Source: Harper's Bazaar)
Zegler continued, "I've been proud to be Colombian my whole life—eating Colombian food, wearing Colombian dresses, drinking Colombian coffee, doing all the things that are so important to me and have been ingrained in my life from childhood to adulthood. I do think that, at least in the public eye, if you are two things, you are neither. I refuse to assimilate for other people. My mother grew up in a time where assimilation was seen as a survival tactic, and many of my family members experienced that: finding a job, being American, so that you can survive—that's the only way to ensure you have a future."
(Image Source: Harper's Bazaar)
Addressing the controversy surrounding her past social media post, where she shared the "Snow White" trailer to express her support for Palestine, Zegler firmly stated she would not retract her previous statements, though she acknowledged the importance of timing when choosing to speak out. She said, "I've expressed how I feel, and that will always be a core tenet of who I am as a person. That's where I stand."
Zegler reflected, "It's a full study in intention versus impact. You have to go through things to grow, and growth comes with a rude awakening. You have to realize that the desire to speak up doesn't always have to be fulfilled, and there are so many opportunities to make a more meaningful difference than just sending a tweet. If I could predict everything that was going to happen, predict the threats to my personal safety I would receive (haters sent her death threats), I would have thrown my phone in the ocean, and I think any sane person would have done the same."
via： Harper's Bazaar