Rachel Zegler spoke candidly about the wave of criticism she faced after being cast as the lead in Disney’s Snow White, calling the backlash “really confusing.” The wide-ranging conversation covered her cultural identity, threats to her safety after posting about Palestine, and the veteran actresses who helped her weather the storm.
Told She Wasn’t Enough — and Then Too Much
Zegler, who has Colombian heritage, told Harper’s Bazaar in March 2026 that the Snow White casting criticism wasn’t the first time her background became a flashpoint. She had previously faced criticism about her background when she starred as Maria in West Side Story, the Steven Spielberg-directed musical.
The backlash pulled in opposite directions across the two projects.
“I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for ‘West Side Story’ and too much of another for Snow White,” Zegler said.
That contradiction sits at the center of a broader experience Zegler described during the interview. She told Harper’s Bazaar that her cultural identity has always been an important part of her life, and she spoke warmly about the traditions that shaped her upbringing.
“I grew up proud of being Colombian,” she said. “Eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult — but I do think there’s an argument to be made that, in the public eye at least, when you’re two things, you’re simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else’s comfort.”
That refusal appears to be deeply personal for Zegler, rooted in her family’s experience.
Threats After Posting About Palestine
The casting controversy was not the only backlash Zegler addressed. During the press tour for Snow White, she also faced criticism after posting on social media in support of Palestine.
In 2024, days after unveiling the first trailer for Snow White at the D23 Expo fan event, Zegler posted on X thanking fans for their support before adding, “And always remember, free Palestine.”
The response was swift. Zegler said it included threats.
“If I’d been able to predict everything that would come my way, the threats to my safety, I would have just thrown my phone into the ocean,” Zegler said. “I think any sane person would have.”
With the benefit of time, Zegler expressed a more measured view of how she uses her platform.
“You live and you learn, and there’s a caution that comes with that,” she said. “There’s an understanding that the temptation to speak doesn’t always mean that it must be done, and that there are a lot of opportunities to make more meaningful change than a tweet.”
Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu stepped in
During one of the most difficult stretches, Zegler said support came from an unexpected source: her castmates on Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, who spent time with her while she was working in Atlanta, offered advice about navigating the entertainment industry. For a young actress weathering a public firestorm, the guidance of experienced colleagues clearly made an impression.
That experience, Zegler said, has since shaped how she approaches supporting other actors facing similar pressures.
Reaching Out to the Next ‘Hunger Games’ Star
Zegler pointed specifically to Whitney Peak, who was cast in a new installment of The Hunger Games. Zegler recently played Lucy Gray Baird in a 2023 installment called The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, so the franchise holds personal significance for her.
When Peak was cast, Zegler reached out directly.
“That’s why when Whitney Peak got cast in the new Hunger Games, I reached out to say, ‘I’m here, even though I hope to God you don’t need me,’” Zegler said. “And the next time a woman of color is cast as a Disney princess, I’ll be there with bells on to support them, to lift them up, to advise and to tell them what not to do.”
