Rachel Zegler for ‘Allure’ March 2025. Photo:
Diego Bendezu
“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” Zegler also recalled of her ‘West Side Story’ audition process
- Rachel Zegler spoke to Allure about her hopes “for the future of diversity and inclusion,” saying she wants to see people “invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like”
- The Snow White actress has dealt with backlash over her casting as the original Disney Princess in the new live-action film
- Zegler also told the magazine she faced questions about her background while she was up for the role of María in the West Side Storyremake
Rachel Zegler is speaking out about the importance of equal opportunity in talent pools.
The Snow White star opened up to Allure for the magazine’s March cover story about diversity and inclusion, nearly four years after it was first announced she had been cast as the original Disney Princess in the live-action adaptation that hits theaters this week.
“My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like,” said Zegler, 23.
Following news of casting in 2021, the actress, who has a Latinx background, dealt with racist backlash over her playing Snow White. (Zegler is of Colombian and Polish descent.)
She later said in a 2024 interview with Variety that Snow White’s name has a different origin story in the new film than the original animated Disney movie — which, along with the 19th century Brother Grimms fairy tale, describes the character as having “skin as white as snow.”
Rachel Zegler in Snow White (2025).
Courtesy of Disney
“It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby,” she said. “And so the king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience.”
The news of Zegler’s Snow White casting came not long after her breakout performance in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story. As she told Allure of the latter experience, “There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name.”
“When I was in the running for María in West Side Story, they kept calling to ask if I was legit,” she said. “I remember thinking, Do you want me to bring my abuelita in? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her.”
After touching on the feeling of “having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them,” Zegler added, “It’s an interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in. But I love being Colombian.”
Zegler also addressed some of the controversy over her casting in a recent chat with Vogue Mexico published last month, explaining audiences feel protective over the famed character and the 1937 original animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
“I interpret people’s feelings about this film as their passion for her and what an honor to be a part of something that people are so passionate about,” Zegler said in her interview, which was conducted in Spanish. “We are not always going to have the same feelings as everyone around us, and all that we can do is do our best.”
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes actress faced criticism once again during 2022’s D23 Expo when she described the original movie as “dated,” adding that Prince Charming “literally stalks” Snow White.
In her recent interview with Vogue Mexico, Zegler explained, “It’s very important for the public to know that Disney has found this beautiful and delicate balance between the 1937 animated classic that everyone knows and loves, and at the same time, introduces it to this new generation.”
Snow White is in theaters Friday, March 21.
