Disney scales back ‘Snow White’ premiere following backlash
Disney reportedly scaled back its Hollywood premiere of “Snow White” premiere following backlash that the film’s stars, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, received.
Zegler, who plays Snow White, and Gadot, who portrays the Evil Queen, are expected to attend the screening at the El Capitan Theatre on Saturday.
However, only photographers and a house crew will be allowed on the red carpet rather than the media outlets who would typically interview the cast, Variety reported Tuesday.
There will also be a pre-party.
Page Six has reached out to Disney for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Fans were up in arms that Zegler, 23, was cast as Snow White because she is Latina.
Additionally, the “West Side Story” actress also faced criticism from fans when she said the Disney plot of the 1937 film was “dated” because the prince “literally stalks Snow White.”
“She’s not going to be saved by the prince,” Zegler told Variety in 2022.
“She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”
The “Spellbound” voice actress also faced backlash when she voiced her support for Palestine on social media and when she shared a lengthy Instagram post wishing that President Donald Trump and his supporters “never know peace” after he defeated Kamala Harris in the 2024 election last November.
The message, in part, read, “another four years of hatred, leaning us towards a world i do not want to live in. … i am heartbroken for my friends who awoke [in] fear this morning. and i am here with you. to cry, to yell, to hug. to wax poetic on how the left continues to fail us in forging a new path forward.”
After people called for Zegler to be fired from the Marc Webb-directed film, she issued an apology, saying that she let her “emotions get the best of” her when she spoke about the election.
“I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse. This week has been emotional for so many of us, but I firmly believe that everyone has a right to their own opinion, even when it differs from my own,” she wrote.
As for Gadot, who is Israeli, she has become an outspoken supporter of Israel on social media. She also delivered a passionate speech on March 4 at the Anti-Defamation League’s annual summit in New York City.
“Never did I imagine that on the streets of the United States, and different cities around the world, we would see people not condemning Hamas, but celebrating, justifying and cheering on a massacre of Jews,” the “Wonder Woman” star, 39, said at the time.
Disney also faced backlash for perpetuating negative stereotypes by casting little people as the Seven Dwarfs in the live-action remake. The company then changed the dwarfs to “magical creatures” of all sizes and genders.
“Snow White” hits theaters on March 21.
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