Rachel Zegler has been through a lot since she was cast as the lead in Disney’s new Snow White film, which debuted at number one after its Friday opening.
The 23-year-old Latina who faced backlash for many things, including calling the 1937 animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarves ‘sexist,’ and ‘weird,’ revealed that she has received a lot of support from other women in Hollywood as she leads the updated fairy tale.
‘Ariana Grande reached out to me—apropos of nothing—and said, “If you need anything, I am here,”‘ she said of the Wicked actress who had received backlash of her own after being cast as Glinda in an interview with Allure.
‘She is so deeply kind. She has gone through so much in the public eye, and I have always really, really admired her courage in the face of all of that,’ Zegler, who landed the role of Snow White prior to the release of her 2021 remake of West Side Story.
Zegler, who said she got the part ‘because I could sing’, said she has been able to draw strength from others she has worked with as well.
‘Jameela Jamil is like a big sister to me,’ she said of The Good Place star and activist.
Rachel Zegler, 23, has received a lot of backlash since she was cast as the title character in Snow White, but said she has been supported by other women in Hollywood; Pictured in Los Angeles March 15
‘I love that she has no regrets about being outspoken, about being strong-willed and strong-minded.’
Oscar winner Helen Mirren and Emmy nominee Lucy Liu, with whom she worked on Shazam! Fury of the Gods ‘have been my keepers in all of this, where I feel very held by them.’
The Y2K star sought to set aside stereotypes about the competitive nature women in showbusiness.
‘All I’m ever really looking for in this business is a sister and they’re not always easy to find. We’re often told that other women have to be your competition and I don’t subscribe to that,’ she asserted.
Following in the steps of her mentors Zegler said, ‘I really do believe in championing your friends and championing your coworkers, whether you’re close with them or not.’
Her solution for any tension is to rock out together.
‘So the second that there’s any intimidation or competition, just put on ‘Girl, so confusing’ by Charli XCX and talk it out,’ she advised.
‘I’ve come to know that in the last couple of years, in search of female friendship in the industry, there is room for all of us no matter what anybody else will have you think.’
‘Ariana Grande reached out to me—apropos of nothing—and said, “If you need anything, I am here,”‘ Zegler said of the ‘deeply kind’ Wicked actress in an interview with Allure; Pictured in Los Angeles on March 2
The actress said Shazam! Fury of the Gods co-stars Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu ‘have been my keepers in all of this, where I feel very held by them’; Pictured in London in March 2023
Zegler also named The Good Place star Jameela Jamil as a mentor. ‘She’s like a sister to me. I love that she has no regrets about being outspoken, about being strong-willed and strong-minded’; Pictured in Marrakech, Morocco in October 2024
Snow White debuted at number one over the weekend earning $43 million at the box office
Zegler, who landed the role of Snow White ‘because I could sing’ and before the release of her 2021 remake of West Side Story, said she has been able to draw strength from others she has worked with as well
The actress hopes those who put aside their concerns about the film being ‘woke’ due to her being a Latina, will find a deeper message in the story of good versus evil.
‘That’s why it’s so important for the next generation to see movies like Snow White,’ the actress explained. ‘To realize there’s nothing wrong with choosing to do what’s right and that it doesn’t have to be with anger or a clenched fist.’
‘Anger can be a powerful emotion, but it doesn’t bring the brightest future,’ she advised.
‘Snow White chooses kindness and still makes change. Power takes many forms,’ she maintained. ‘I hope we’ll see a new dawn of kindness and acceptance in the next couple of years. And people don’t see the need to use hate to cause further division.’
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