Snow White star Rachel Zegler is ‘out of control’ and causing major headaches for Disney ahead of the movie’s release, an insider has revealed.
A source told Page Six the company ‘doesn’t know what to do’ with Zegler, 23, because of her repeated insistence on airing her progressive views.
The actress refused to sing the beloved song, ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’ from the 1937 Disney classic, stating it was ‘weird’ that the movie focused on Snow White’s, ‘love story with a guy who literally stalks her’.
‘We didn’t do that this time. I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again,’ Zegler told Variety in 2022.
Instead the tune has been replaced with feminist anthem ‘Waiting on a Wish’, when it the $270 million remake hits theaters on March 21.
Zegler said her character is ‘not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be’, when she spoke at the Disney expo last year.
Additionally, her pro-Palestine stance is also proving problematic for Disney bosses, who are said to have repeatedly called her and her agents to try and get her to tone down her posts on the issue.
Israeli co-star Gal Gadot plays the evil queen in the movie, although she and Zegler are said to have gotten on well during filming.
‘Disney’s lead actress is out of control,’ a source told Page Six. ‘They don’t know what to do … she’s an outspoken 20-something and Disney chiefs have called her directly and asked her to tone down her posts. They’ve called her management, but she won’t listen.
Snow White star Rachel Zegler is ‘out of control’ and causing major headaches for Disney ahead of the movie’s release , an insider has revealed
The actress refused to sing the beloved song, ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’ from the 1937 Disney classic, stating it was ‘weird’ that the movie focused on Snow White’s, ‘love story with a guy who literally stalks her’
‘It’s been this way the entire way through filming. But it’s the tying of her politics to ‘Snow White’ that is upsetting.’
Disney executives trumpeted the casting of Zegler, who is Latina, as evidence of their progressive approach.
However, box office figures suggest the company’s move towards DEI, which also included putting content warnings on classics such as Dumbo, has alienated some fans.
Zegler’s comments and the direction of the new Snow White movie have upset David Hale Hand, the son of the late David Hand, who was the supervising director for the original cartoon.
‘The original was the way it should be. From what I’ve read, [the new film] bears no reflection to the original story,’ said Hand, 93, who revealed he won’t be catching the new release. ‘It’s so far off base that it’s ridiculous.’
He added the changes are enough to make his father and Walt Disney ‘roll in their graves.’
His wife Sandra Hand also told Page Six : ‘They’ve taken it and moved into the politics of what is woke.
‘They’re taking a beautiful and beautifully drawn story and destroying what was ‘Snow White.’
She has also been outspoken in her support for Palestine which has lead to Disney bosses allegedly calling her and begging her to tone down her posts. Pictured: Zegler at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Zegler’s co-star Gal Gadot has also come under fire for her support for Israel and was notable absent from the scaled-down Spanish premiere of Snow White
‘Why can’t they just leave it alone instead of coming up with a different story — make it a totally different character?
‘David’s father took so much pride in the film and he would say, ‘What have you done?’
Zegler was recently forced to apologize after she shared an Instagram post in which she wished that President Trump and his supporters would ‘never know peace’ after he won the election.
The situation has become so precarious for Disney that the media conglomerate is reportedly trying to ditch traditional red carpet interviews over fears the premiere could become embroiled in controversy.
As well as contending with Zegler’s views, bosses are having to tread carefully after another of the film’s stars, Israeli actress Gal Gadot, was hit with a petition to bar her from the Oscars over her outspoken support for her homeland amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
Gadot was notably absent from a ‘secret’ premiere of the movie in Spain last night, where Disney failed to roll out the red carpet for the global press.
‘Disney is leaning towards having influencers to interview Rachel and Gal for promotion days on Sunday and Monday,’ an industry insider told Page Six. ‘They want to concentrate on the content.’
And while Disney has been patting itself on the back over its diverse cast, it has also come under criticism for its presentation of the Seven Dwarves.
Leading lady Rachel Zegler stepped out at a remote castle in Segrovia, north-west of Madrid, to perform for select VIP guests after Disney scaled back the event following a series of scandals
A modest crowd of around 100 people stood behind red rope to watch Zegler as the event appeared to be a very small-scale affair – far from a usual Hollywood premiere
Jackass star Jason Acuña, who played ‘Wee Man’ and has a form of dwarfism, initially expressed anger after test shots showed actors without the condition playing the roles.
‘You’re replacing jobs that people could have as little people,’ he told Movie Maniac in 2023. ‘It’s for dwarfs. Why are you hiring ‘Snow White and the seven average people’?’
In trailers it has since emerged that the Seven Dwarves have been generated using CGI, a decision director Marc Webb insists he made right from the start.
Meanwhile actor Peter Dinklage, who played Tirion Lannister in Game of Thrones, questioned the decision to include the characters at all.
‘They were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there,’ Dinklage told podcaster Marc Maron last year.
Disney is said to be terrified the constant drumbeat of bad publicity will put moviegoers off seeing Snow White.
The entertainment giant has vowed to move away from woke, preachy movies and TV shows.
But Snow White and the casting of Zelger came during a period when Disney was all-in on DEI-type policies, meaning the movie may struggle to cast off that reputation.
