Zegler Blames No One—But She's Not Apologizing for Snow White Either
Rachel Zegler's been through the internet wringer ever since she spoke her mind during the Snow White press tour — and now she's finally addressing the backlash, sort of.
In a new interview with i-D Magazine, Zegler opened up about being a public punching bag online, especially for her political opinions and comments about Disney's classic version of Snow White. Her take? She's not sorry, and she's not backing down.
"A platform becomes a responsibility, and that responsibility is ours to use as we please," she said. "My compassion has no boundaries… and my support for one cause does not denounce any others. That's always been at the core of who I am."
Zegler's been targeted since calling the original Snow White dated — a move that enraged Disney traditionalists, who felt she disrespected the 1937 classic. The outrage spiraled so hard that some fans blamed her personally for the movie's box office flop.
But even under pressure — including, reportedly, from Snow White producer Marc Platt, who flew out to ask her to tone it down — she refused to delete her posts. And she's still standing by that decision:
"There are obviously things that are at stake by being outspoken, but nothing is worth innocent lives. My heart doesn't have a fence around it, and if that is considered my downfall? There are worse things."
Zegler also revealed she's been seeing a therapist throughout the backlash, and said one sentence from them helped put everything in perspective:
"My fu***ing psychiatrist has seen me through all of it. [They said,] ‘What you're going through isn't normal.' That sentence did such wonders for me."
Despite the noise, she's doing just fine. Zegler's currently starring in Evita in London's West End — a role already earning rave reviews — and no, she's not hiding from Hollywood. She's just done apologizing for having opinions.