Rachel Zegler expressed what an “honor” it was to play Snow White in the new live-action film after calling the original 1937 film “weird.”
“It was the honor of a lifetime. I think every young person dreams about a phone call like that,” she said on Thursday’s episode of “Good Morning America.” “This one is certainly extra special as a huge Disney fan.”
Zegler continued praising the film and said, “To get to bring her to life in such a unique way and such a special way, it’s just a beautiful opportunity, and I’m very honored.”
The “West Side Story” actress, 23, also addressed the “modern spin” that she and her co-stars gave the remake.
“It’s all about bridging a classic to a modern age to bring it to these beautiful young people,” she said. “Her superpower remains her heart, you know, that’s always been the core of this story. That’s always been the core of the Disney Company.”
Zegler gushed that the film is for both children and the “inner child in all of us.”
The Golden Globe winner shared the message after previously facing backlash for calling the animated version “weird” and “extremely dated.”
“The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so,” she told “Extra” in 2022. “There’s a big focus on her love story with the guy who literally stalks her. Weird, weird. So we didn’t do that this time.”
Zegler explained that they took a “different approach” with the plot so that it was “really not about the love story at all.”
In another interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2022, Zegler admitted that she was “scared of the original cartoon” and only “watched it once.”
In addition to her controversial opinions of the original movie, Zegler also faced criticism for her outspoken political views and pro-Palestine activism.
One movie insider even told Page Six that Disney does “not know what to do” with the “out of control” lead.
“She’s an outspoken 20-something, and Disney chiefs have called her directly and asked her to tone down her posts,” a source told us last week. “They’ve called her management, but she won’t listen.”
Meanwhile, Zegler’s co-star Gal Gadot –– who plays the Evil Queen in the movie –– is a vocal advocate for her home country of Israel and the Jewish population.
Zegler and Gadot have fueled rumors of a feud between them after primarily doing press separately.
