Rachel Zegler has recently broken her silence surrounding her Latina Snow White role in the upcoming live-action reimagining. Calling out critics of the casting in a character always portrayed as Caucasian, the 23-year-old actress famed for West Side Story has faced backlash.
Inspiration for Zegler
Through all the negative responses, Rachel Zegler has not been moved an inch. She looks back on the history-making 1997 live-action Cinderella played by Brandy Norwood and builds on what she did. Reflecting on her childhood, Zegler said, “I grew up in a house where that was Cinderella. A child’s mind is remarkable; it’s just like, ‘OK, that’s Cinderella.’”
Adding a kid-friendly perspective raises questions in representation and how varied portrayals can hit young viewers. Rachel Zegler believes characters like both can inspire kids everywhere, regardless of where they come from.
Brandy Norwood in Support
Acting swiftly, Brandy Norwood has come to the defense of Rachel Zegler on how vital it is. “I know Rachel will be absolutely incredible in this role,” Norwood expressed. Zegler should look at what she is doing for little girls, just like she was growing up and didn’t see marveled fairytales before.
Norwood added more with “You’re doing this for every little Colombian girl who has yet to see themselves as a Disney princess. You are showing her that anything is possible.” If these are the kind of kids she can inspire, the meaning behind changing classic roles to feature new characters extends into the rest of society.
New Snow White Origin
As part of revealing the change to the character’s original name, Rachel Zegler informed us about a rewritten backstory. Snow White’s on-screen persona was adapted from history, surviving a snowstorm when she was a baby. Zegler said, “The king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience.”
Aimed to introduce youngsters to themes about strength and coming out of difficult situations, it’s through this narrative that we can see one of Zegler’s reasons for the film.
Conclusion
A Latina Snow White has continued to stir a larger conversation on representation in showbiz thanks to Rachel Zegler. Conversely, Zegler is fully committed to bringing to life a character that makes us all reflect from her own early days and predecessors like Brandy Norwood did. As we head to its Netflix release, this live-action recreation promises an update to an old-time favorite, discussing resilience and the importance of seeing oneself reflected in stories.