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Credit: Inside the MagicIt’s official. Rachel Zegler is Disney’s new Brie Larson – but not for the reasons you think.
Since being cast as Snow White in the upcoming live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Rachel Zegler has received endless flack from Disney fans and non-fans alike.
In the beginning, their biggest issue was that Zegler – a Latina actress of Colombian and Polish descent – was cast as a traditionally white character. Now, however, their critiques have taken several new twists and turns, with the latest being that Zegler is allegedly “ungrateful” for playing such an iconic character and doesn’t understand the lore of Snow White.
These accusations stem from two videos. One is a resurfaced interview from 2022 in which Zegler argues that her version of Snow White won’t be “saved” by the prince like the 1937 version. “It’s no longer 1937,” she said. “We absolutely wrote a Snow White that is not gonna be saved by the prince. And she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”
The second is a video from the frontlines of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes where Zegler states, “If I’m going to stand there for 18 hours in a dress of an iconic Disney princess, I deserve to be paid for every hour that it is streamed online.”
Twitter and TikTok have since been overrun with comments and videos accusing Zegler of hating the character she’s set to play in next year’s live-action reboot (despite the fact that Zegler has shared several posts proving otherwise), as well as dissecting the “pseudofeminism” that makes some believe that Snow White prioritizing love is a bad thing.
This is just my opinion though what do yall think, I’d love to hear different opinions
@thechickflicksshow This is just my opinion though what do yall think, I’d love to hear different opinions #disney #disneyprincess #disneyprincesses #rachelzegler #snowwhite #snowwhiteandthesevendwarfs #snowwhiteandthehuntsman #mirrormirror #snowwhiteremake
Of course, we’ve seen this kind of behavior before. As Twitter user @WrittenInStar5 points out, this isn’t the first time the Disney community has zeroed in on an actress and accused them of being rude or ungrateful – Brie Larson has received similar treatment from the moment she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Carol Danvers (AKA Captain Marvel).
“Y’all swore up and down that we would never let the hate that Brie Larson got happen to another actress and here we are again with you LOSERS bashing Rachel Zegler for asking for fair pay and wanting to play Snow White as a more proactive heroine,” she wrote. “I’m done.”
Like Zegler, Larson has stated time after time about her appreciation for playing Captain Marvel. However, it’s a common theme among Marvel fans to protest against her very existence in the MCU. For proof, just see the number of dislikes on The Marvels (2023) trailer and the inevitable review bombing that will come with the film’s release in November. Larson herself is aware of the movement, questioning whether fans actually want her to return for another stint as Danvers.
Related: Brie Larson Was Terrified To Join Marvel For A Big Reason
As Twitter user @Wlwdenji wrote, “I hope people actually stick up for Rachel this time around. It was very sad how so few were openly Brie’s corner during it all.”
Another user also called out those claiming there was a difference between hating the two, stating, “All the comments saying ‘there’s a difference,’ there’s really not. Y’all are using the same reasons to justify y’all hating on both.”
Rachel loves Snow White.
Rachel loves Snow White🍎 pic.twitter.com/izHG795kx6
— live laugh love halle bailey, stream ANGEL ✨👼 (@darkfandom_) August 12, 2023
The real theme here is hating on actresses for quotes that would go completely unchecked if uttered by a male actor. Fandom has long had a problem with misogyny, with actresses held to a totally different standard than their male counterparts. The treatment of Brie Larson is proof that this issue is still rampant in the Marvel fandom – and Rachel Zegler is proof that nobody’s learned much better since.
Do you think there’s a misogyny problem in online fandom? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!