Following the release of Disney’s new production Snow White, a controversy has emerged accusing Zegler of the movie’s failure for being Latina, too dark-skinned for a character like Snow White.
There is a symbol in Mexico that is sacred. Affectionately, it’s called ‘La Morenita.’ More formally, it’s known as the Virgin of Guadalupe. People ask for miracles from her, to bless them, save them from difficulties, and help them live a longer life. For the renowned art critic, speaker, and many other things, Rachel Zegler, of Colombian and Polish descent, has become the “Morenita” who has embodied another legendary character, Snow White.
Following the release of Disney’s new production Snow White, a controversy has emerged, particularly on social media, accusing Zegler of the movie’s failure for being Latina, too dark-skinned for a character like Snow White, and for supporting the Palestinian cause.
“This actress does an extraordinary job. They’re building bubbles to criticize her role. They won’t accept that a Latina can embody Snow White so well. It’s part of the times we’re living in, with attacks on inclusion and diversity policies. The rest are just distractions about what truly bothers them. Rachel has already said, Snow White’s whiteness isn’t in her skin, it’s in her inner spirit,” says Luke.
“They’re attacking her from all sides, but she’s not backing down, even though her career is in danger. All of this is part of Trump’s exclusionary politics and attacks on diversity.”- Gregorio Luke.
The day Luke went to the movies, he was exhausted from work and wanted to relax. The best option he found in theaters was Snow White.
“I was surprised by the casting. The role of Snow White surprised me. Zegler’s acting is excellent, and I was even more pleased that she is partially Latina,” says Luke, who considers himself more of a film specialist than an art critic.
He began researching everything about her, including her spectacular performance in West Side Story under the direction of Steve Spielberg, the giant of cinematic direction. There, she competed against 30,000 applicants and won the role.
The controversial post.
One of the things that sparked the controversy was a tweet where Zegler wrote ‘Free Palestine.’ This didn’t sit well with Hollywood executives or her co-star, Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who opposes the Palestinian cause.
“She has political awareness, and she didn’t back down when high-ranking Hollywood executives pressured her to remove her message from social media. While many artists support the Palestinian cause, this is not the case for Hollywood executives, who are dominated by Jewish interests. Recently, Israeli settlers beat up one of the Palestinian co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land before he was detained by the Israeli military. This action was not condemned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or any other executives. Neither did they support No Other Land to secure distribution for screening. Actors criticized the Academy for not speaking out against this violent act against one of their own.”
On social media, her supporters listed her “sins”:
*not supporting genocide
*asking to be paid fairly
*being “annoying” (if that’s a crime, lock me tf away)
*being simultaneously too white and not white enough
*calling a movie that came out 88 years ago outdated
And as if that weren’t enough, she has also criticized Donald Trump’s policies.
The controversial post: Rachel Zegler; Gal Gadot.
In November 2024, Zegler criticized Donald Trump and his supporters, claiming there is a “deep, deep sickness” in the United States and accusing Trump of threatening democracy. She also wrote, “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” She later apologized for contributing to the negative discourse.
“They’re attacking her from all sides, but she’s not backing down, even though her career is in danger. All of this is part of Trump’s exclusionary politics and attacks on diversity. There’s a lot of fear, people can’t organize marches, people aren’t going out to the streets. What we should do is support the movie. Latinos are the ones who go to the movies the most, and now that we have a Brown Snow White, we should go and support her and make ourselves heard. Families should take their daughters to see it and feel represented. We shouldn’t get caught up in the controversy just because one person thinks differently. I have no doubt that she has a great political personality and will be a major movie star and a great figure in society,” says Luke.
This critic is aware of Disney’s power, but he also knows that he doesn’t want to upset the Jewish community or Trump.
“What we have to do is support the movie. Let Disney know that Latinos support a Latina actress and are proud of that. Let’s save our Snow White,” he says.
