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Credit: LionsgateRachel Zegler, the star of Disney’s upcoming live-action Snow White (2024) remake, has some fans up in arms after sharing her strong opinions about the House of Mouse, publicly demanding to be paid for every hour her upcoming collaboration with the studio is streamed on Disney+ in a clip that recently went viral on social media. Now, more users are weighing in on the matter, with some even calling out the “entitled” SAG-AFTRA and WGA members currently on strike for their remarks.
Related: ‘Snow White’ Star States Demands from Disney to Play Iconic Princess
What Do Striking SAG-AFTRA Members Hope to Achieve?
Tensions are rising as the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes rage on, and even Disney princesses have had enough of major Hollywood studios’ greed. Writers and actors from all corners of the industry are currently withholding labor in the fight for fair compensation, residuals, and job security amid an increasingly complicated market made even more confusing by the world of streaming and AI generative technology.
Disney, in particular, has been at the center of public scrutiny as of late after returning CEO Bob Iger slammed striking union members’ demands as being “not realistic” and “very disturbing” on national television last month. These remarks earned him a fair amount of backlash, as the controversial businessman reportedly brings in a $27+ million paycheck each year. In contrast, some writers have taken to social media to show their residuals checks, which total to mere cents, if any at all.
Related: ‘She-Hulk’ Actress Blasts “Out of Touch” Disney CEO, Slams Marvel Studios
Celebrities Speak Out Against Bob Iger
Hollywood legends including Bryan Cranston, Fran Drescher, and even Disney alums like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany have called out Iger’s “repugnant” and “tone deaf” strike comments, and with no negotiations in sight, this battle could very well bleed Hollywood’s entertainment industry dry.
One of the newer additions to Disney, Oscar nominee Rachel Zegler, divided social media users after standing up for striking SAG-AFTRA members in a now-viral video that made the rounds across the internet earlier this week. In the clip, she proclaimed, “If I’m going to stand there 18 hours in the dress of an iconic Disney princess, I deserve to be paid every hour that it is streamed online,” referring to her role in the live-action reboot of Snow White.
Rachel Zegler in Hot Water for Strike Comments, Twitter Reacts
Even though many agreed with the actress’ comments and defended her by saying, “she’s 100% right,” others had different opinions and weren’t afraid to vocalize them. On Twitter, @EndWokeness quote-tweeted the video of Zegler’s rousing speech, writing:
‘I’m if gonna stand there 18 hours in a dress of an iconic Disney princess, I deserve to be paid for every hour that it’s streamed online.’ The new Snow White is the most insufferable woman I’ve ever seen.
“I’m if gonna stand there 18 hours in a dress of an iconic Disney princess, I deserve to be paid for every hour that it’s streamed online.”
The new Snow White is the most insufferable woman I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/U1swu4roRl
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 2, 2023
Meanwhile, infamous conservative commentator Tomi Lahren chimed in, adding, “Sounds like Liberal privilege,” while @DavidWells42069 echoed a similar sentiment, tweeting, “She basically just ended her acting career.”
After becoming the target of these pointed criticisms, Zegler herself responded to the “woke” outrage in a hilarious clapback, writing:
fellas is it woke to wanna be fairly compensated
fellas is it woke to wanna be fairly compensated
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) August 3, 2023
The Snow White actress also had dozens of fans coming to her defense, with @CanWeGetSomeToast writing, “Woman speaks up because she DESERVES to be paid and is deemed insufferable. lmao.” Others doubled down on their full support for Zegler and the SAG-AFTRA strike, with user @NicholasPas5 sharing, “There’s not a single thing wrong with what she said. She’s 100% right.”
Given the sheer amount of backlash Disney’s upcoming Snow White movie has already received for its “woke” politics—certainly not helped by audiences’ preexisting disdain with the onslaught of live-action reboots—it’s not surprising that many social media users are singling out Zegler for her recent comments, despite other actors issuing similar statements from the SAG-AFTRA picket lines.
There seems to be a fundamental lack of misunderstanding when it comes to the current Hollywood strikes, with many less familiar with the entertainment industry unsure of why A-lister celebrities like Meryl Streep and Matt Damon, who are highly-paid, top-billed actors in their field, are asking for fair wages. But the issue reaches beyond a personal level, with actors using their voices to support the lesser-paid, little-known SAG-AFTRA union members, some of whom cannot afford housing and healthcare under current conditions.
And, yes, even more notable celebrities like Zegler deserve to be compensated for their work, which is still a fraction of what Bob Iger and other studio heads like Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav bring home annually. Other performers might only make $27 thousand annually compared to CEOs’ $27 million, leaving them unable to afford basic necessities. This is why it’s so crucial for more prominent names like Zegler to show their solidarity, using their platforms to fight for Hollywood’s up-and-coming actors.
Regardless, there seems to be no end in sight for both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as of now, with the latest rounds of contract negotiations having fallen through yet again. This movement is sure to be a long haul, and until some sort of agreement can be reached between all parties, things might very well get worse before they get better.
Do you think these criticisms of Rachel Zegler are fair? Let us know in the comments below.