Rachel Zegler shares the interesting story of how she was cast for Snow White, Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Zegler is a 20-year-old up-and-coming star who recently made her big-screen debut in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story, where she played Maria. Even before the musical was released in theaters, Disney announced that it’s chosen the Hollywood newcomer to play the titular role of the Snow White live-action reboot.
Snow White is the latest classic Disney movie that will be getting a modern spin. The highly anticipated movie will be helmed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man) and will feature new songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman). Zegler will star alongside Gal Gadot, who has been tapped to play the Evil Queen. While the film has yet to get a release date, production is expected to start this year.
In a recent interview for The Playlist, Zegler opened up about her exciting role as the Disney princess and shared an interesting story of how she got cast for the part. According to the young actress, she did not know she was actually auditioning for Snow White other than it was said to be an “Untitled Disney Project.” Zegler revealed that she’d read with “disguised sides” who didn’t have character names, only to be surprised that they were supposed to be playing Dopey and the rest of the famous dwarfs. Read her funny anecdote below:
I was really excited to work with Marc Webb. I love his movies a lot. I love how he directs. And so, I didn’t know really what I was auditioning for. I just knew it was “Untitled Disney Project.” And I met with him for the first time. I had these disguised sides that didn’t have character names on them and didn’t really give much away about what the plot was. So, when I was talking to Marc on Zoom the first time because I kind of came in late in the game to the audition process, they had already seen so many girls in a singing round that I was never really a part of. And then I read for him, he started talking, and he was like, “And then Snow turns to Dopey and says…” And I was like, “Is this Snow White?” He was like, “Yeah. Nobody told you?” I’m like, “The sides say, Jane and Max. Why would I think Snow White and Dopey?” [Laughs.]
Zegler was handpicked by Disney execs after a rigorous search for the right girl who will become the new Snow White. Despite her lack of experience in the industry, Zegler’s singing talent and stage presence impressed everyone, securing her the highly coveted role. Interestingly, her casting raised some questions as Zegler comes from a Colombian-Polish background unlike the perceived image of the original cartoon being Caucasian. While Zegler is obviously excited to play the beloved Disney princess, she acknowledged that the public’s incessant bashing of her for being not white enough is a “jarring experience.“
Ignoring haters will be something Zegler needs to master while she prepares to play her biggest role to date. As she sets out to prove that she’s indeed the “fairest of them all,” she also has the unique opportunity to reinvent Snow White and reintroduce the character to this generation’s audiences. While there have been many films done based on the well-loved fairytale, none of them had the official Disney magic. No doubt, Zegler will be thrust into the spotlight once Snow White the live-action movie arrives in theaters.
Source: The Playlist
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