Snow White’s new star, Rachel Zegler, voices concerns about original film’s “creepy and stalker-ish” elements

Numerous individuals eagerly anticipate the upcoming movie set to release next year. However, it’s clear that Rachel Zegler, the actress portraying the lead role, has shared her reflections on the original film, which dates back over eight decades to its initial release in 1937.

At the age of 22, Zegler has highlighted several shortcomings within the original concept, describing it as “creepy and stalker-ish.”

The next American musical fantasy film is under the direction of Marc Webb, with the script penned by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson.

During an interview, the actor from West Side Story expressed her lack of admiration for the original Disney princess and the prince character, who will be portrayed by the actor Andrew Burnap, going so far as to categorize him as a ‘stalker’.

The initial animated film was notably released in 1937, prominently featuring a love story where the protagonist is pursued persistently by a suitor. Zegler found this aspect perplexing and emphasized its peculiarity. She noted that the new adaptation takes a distinct approach, challenging the conventional belief of a romantic tale solely due to the presence of a male character. In her words, “Who knows, all of Andrew’s scenes could be cut.” “Hollywood, baby!”

Explaining her perspective to the publication, she clarified that her remarks were rooted in the present era, highlighting that it’s no longer 1937. In this updated portrayal, she won’t rely on a prince for rescue, nor will she indulge in dreams of a fairy-tale romance.

Instead, her aspirations revolve around embracing her potential as a leader, a vision instilled by her late father who encouraged her to embody traits of courage, fairness, boldness, and honesty.

While anticipation surrounds the new adaptation for many, Zegler’s comments have certainly stirred up a response among other devoted Disney fans.

Snow White IS a LOVE STORY but just like everything Disney makes now the NEW movie has gotta be WOKE- change as much of the original story as possible to influence upcoming generation of children!

Original STORY has worked for over 60yrs but won't now, please🙄#BoycottDisney pic.twitter.com/skM3fueNQ9

— Peach (@Gapeach_3102) August 14, 2023

One user retweeted the interview with the caption: “Snow White IS a LOVE STORY, but like everything else.

“Disney’s NEW movie has to be WOKE—change as much of the original story as possible in order to influence the next generation of children!”

“Original Story has worked for over 60 years but will no longer work, please!”

Zegler’s remarks have sparked backlash not only on Twitter but also in a TikTok video that has garnered over 9.4 million views. The video features Angie, known as @cosywithangie on TikTok, responding to the Variety interview.

Angie uses the video to express her view, asserting that desiring to experience love, marriage, embracing a domestic role, displaying gentleness, and aspiring to be a homemaker is not contrary to feminist ideals.

@cosywithangie Just because a woman values something different, does not make her any less valuable. Some women want a career and not marriage. Some women want a marriage or family and not a job. Some women want BOTH. All are to be heard, and seen, and valued. Write stories about ALL women and depict them ALL as valuable and worthy, instead of trying to mold them into one specific image of what you deem worthy. Thank you. #snowwhite #snowwhiteliveaction #snowwhitecontroversy #disney ♬ original sound – Angie | Self Care

None of these aspects diminish your value as an individual or as a woman, she emphasized. Critiquing Disney princesses doesn’t define feminism. Not all women are inclined to lead, and not all aspire to do so. It’s reasonable that some women don’t seek or insist on power

It’s not a feminist stance to think that a woman’s worth is diminished because she experiences love or accepts assistance from others, instead of adopting a ‘girl-boss’ attitude to tackle her challenges, she concluded.

It’s not uncommon for discussions about pop culture and feminism to generate a range of perspectives and reactions. In this case, it seems there’s a divide between those who support Rachel Zegler’s viewpoint and those who disagree.

Supporters of Zegler argue that her commentary on Snow White reflects a modern perspective, one that emphasizes a broader range of aspirations for female characters beyond traditional romantic narratives. They view her stance as a positive step toward showcasing more diverse and empowering representations of women in media.

On the other hand, critics of Zegler’s remarks might argue that certain classic stories have cultural and historical contexts that shouldn’t be dismissed. They might feel that reinterpreting these stories with a modern lens can lead to overlooking the nuances and values of the time in which they were created.

Ultimately, the conversation highlights the ongoing evolution of storytelling and the need for a balanced dialogue around how characters and narratives evolve over time. As for the release date of the Snow White adaptation, it’s exciting that audiences will have the opportunity to see this reinterpretation in the spring of next year.

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