Rachel Zegler, the star of Disney’s live-action “Snow White,” opened up about dealing with backlash to her social media posts, some of which reportedly alarmed Disney executives prior to the film’s release.
Zegler — who notably faced initial criticism after Disney cast her, a non-white actor, in the remake — told i-D magazine that the takes about her were “really alarming” at times and, after the criticism began to deeply impact her, her “fucking therapist” that’s seen her “through all of it” offered a blunt reminder.
“[She said] ‘What you’re going through isn’t normal.’ That sentence did such wonders for me in multiple situations in my life,” Zegler recalled.
Zegler revealed that she also received medication for her anxiety, saying it was “truly a game changer” because she wasn’t functioning at the time.
“And I wanted to function in a way that made me feel confident in the way I was moving through the world,” she continued.
She later emphasized that having a “victim mindset is a choice,” one she doesn’t want to make for herself.
A number of Zegler’s posts sparked backlash in the lead-up to the release of “Snow White,” one of the most expensive films ever made and now viewed as a box office bomb since it dropped in March.
Her “always remember, free palestine” post on X, formerly Twitter, reportedly led producer Marc Platt to fly to New York to speak to her “directly.” She also fueled right-wing criticism when she posted “Fuck Donald Trump” on her Instagram Stories, calling for his supporters to “never know peace” in November.
In her interview with i-D magazine, Zegler pointed to remarks by actor Hannah Einbinder regarding Israel’s war on Gaza, stressing in March that those with a platform have a “responsibility” to use it.
Zegler said that her compassion “has no boundaries,” noting that her “support for one cause does not denounce any others.”
“That’s always been at the core of who I am as a person. It’s the way I was raised,” she said.
“There are obviously things that are at stake by being outspoken, but nothing is worth innocent lives. My heart doesn’t have a fence around it, and if that is considered my downfall? There are worse things.”