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Snow White controversy explained: All the Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot and Disney backlash
12 March 2025, 17:06 | Updated: 12 March 2025, 17:16
Disney's 'Snow White' remake is due to hit cinemas very soon, but amid all the controversy surrounding the film - as well as cast members Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot - the premiere has been scaled back. But what has actually happened?
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Disney's remake of the 1937 classic Snow White And The Seven Dwarves will be released on March 21, starring Rachel Zegler as the title character and Gal Gadot as The Evil Queen.
Despite Snow White being a huge Disney production, the promo of the film has been "scaled back" due to the many controversies surround the upcoming film; from Rachel's political comments about Donald Trump to the U-turn over the casting of dwarves.
Instead of the red carpet being rolled out at a big premiere (which is a normality for Disney) Snow White will instead have a smaller event with the press reduced to photographers and in-house crew only.
Ahead of the release of Snow White, many people have been left questioning why there is so much bad press around the upcoming Disney film and what has happened along the way. Here's a breakdown of some of the issues the film and cast have faced.
Disney's U-turn on Snow White dwarves
In the upcoming Disney film Snow White, the famous seven dwarves will be played by one actor with dwarfism and six others played by non-dwarf actors.
Disney came to this decision after Game of Thrones, Wicked and Marvel actor Peter Dinklage criticised the remake of the iconic film and the role of "the seven dwarves".
“Literally no offence to anything, but I was sort of taken aback,” Peter said on the WTF With Mark Maron podcast: “They were very proud to cast a Latino 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.”
Following his comments, Disney released a statement on Good Morning America which read: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.”
This decision, however, received further backlash from other actors with dwarfism who said that the choice was taking roles away from them.
Actress Katrina Kemp, who has dwarfism, said that Disney's decision was “a missed opportunity to make a movie with seven little people where they actually have intended characters," adding: "There will have been people who gladly would have taken those roles.”
Rachel Zegler's comments about Snow White
Rachel Zegler, who plays Snow White in the upcoming Disney reboot, has also found herself at the centre of some of the film's controversy.
Speaking about the remake and the changes that will be made to the plot of the original film, Rachel said at the D23 Disney Expo: "She’s 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.”
Her comments were criticised by fans of the original film, who argued that Disney are not creating a remake, but instead a different film entirely.
Responding to some of the backlash she received for these comments, Rachel said in an interview with Vogue Mexico: "I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion. What an honour to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about. We’re not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us and all we can do is our best.”
Political views
Politics has also been a part of the Snow White film controversy, with lead actresses Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot's polarising views on the Isreal-Palestine conflict, as well as Zegler's comments about President Donald Trump.
Rachel has been vocal about her support for the Palestinian people on social media, promoting "free Palestine", while Gal (who is Isreali) has been vocal with her support for Isreal following the October 7 attack.
As well as this, Rachel received criticism from Donald Trump supporters when she posted the following message on her Instagram: "May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace."
Two days later, Rachel apologised for this comment.
