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.
While Zegler was put front-and-centre of the film’s European ‘premiere’, the leading lady wasn’t given the chance to speak to any global press – because they weren’t invited to the secret event.
She jetted off to a remote castle in Segrovia, north-west of Madrid, to perform for select ‘VIPs’ which included influencers and families, though the event raised eyebrows as she was the only star in attendance, with not even Gal Gadot present.
Disney are reportedly treading carefully with Zegler after she has made a series of bold comments panning the original 1937 classic for its ‘sexist’ traditional romance plot and ‘dated’ love story.
‘Disney’s lead actress is out of control,’ a source told Page Six. ‘They don’t know what to do.
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’
‘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.
‘It’s been this way the entire way through filming. But it’s the tying of her politics to ‘Snow White’ that is upsetting.’
At Wednesday’s European event was carefully not referred to as a premiere after Disney scaled back the glitzy global premieres in favor of ‘tightly controlled’ press events following the scandals and PR nightmares surrounding the film.
Rather than the usual list of major news outlets flocking to the scene, local Spanish influencers and families from the small city of Segovia, which boasts a population of just 51,000, were among the chosen ‘VIPs’ in attendance.
Zegler was not given the chance to speak to global media as, according to Disney, unnamed ‘press’ and ‘content influencers’ were in attendance – with the global media thousands of miles away after the leading lady’s recent divisive interviews.
Her co-star Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen with Disney coming under the spotlight, was also absent with only director Marc Webb accompanying Zegler to the event as she bizarrely led the press-absent event solo.
The scaled-back European event came in place of glitzy London and LA premieres that had been expected for the high-budget release, with the London leg now having been completely panned.
Earlier this month, an insider told the Mail: ‘Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled Press events.
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
Zegler, who plays Snow White, was photographed greeting and signing autographs for the children, who all made up the front row as she performed
‘That is why they have taken the highly unusual step not to host a London premiere for the film and are minimising the amount of Press questions that Rachel Zegler gets.’
Later this week, the cast will return to the States, with Zegler and Gadot expected attend a pre-party and screening at Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theatre on March 15, where ‘coverage will be limited to photographers and a house crew’.
‘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.’
In another huge blow, Zegler even refused to sing the beloved song, ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’ from the 1937 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, at the European event, Zegler belted out brand new feminist anthem Waiting on a Wish as she gave fans a taste of what to expect when the $270million 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.
According to Disney, unnamed ‘press’, ‘content creators’ and a group of families involved with local Spanish charities were among those who gathered outside the medieval castle
Notably, her co-star Gal Gadot (pictured in New York on March 10) – who has also come under the spotlight for her casting as the evil queen – was not in attendance
The castle in Disney’s 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is based on Alcazar de Segovia, where the European event was held on Wednesday night
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 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.’
The event – which took place thousands of miles away from the gaze of global press – was simply made up of a performance of Waiting upon a Wish
Zegler has also criticized David Hand’s 1937 original animated film as ‘extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman’s fit for in the world’
‘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.
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.
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.
