Rachel Zegler, the star of West Side Story, has found herself at the center of internet discourse and Hollywood gossip after her latest film, Snow White, flopped at the box office. The movie earned a dismal $43 million domestically and just $87 million globally in its opening weekend, despite reportedly costing at least $350 million to make and market.
Entertainment insiders have tried to find someone to blame for the failure, with some scapegoating Zegler herself. However, the more information that comes out about Zegler and Snow White’s difficulties, the better she seems to look to many observers.
Zegler faced backlash long before Snow White hit theaters in June 2021 when her casting was announced. Conservative-leaning Disney fans were irate that a Latina had been chosen to play Snow White, with some calling for a boycott. When Zegler called the film’s source material “weird” and said it would take a different approach, things got worse.
Zegler expressed her solidarity with Palestine after the war in Gaza, which reportedly led Disney to hire a social media guru to vet all of Zegler’s posts. The studio has also launched a whisper campaign blaming Snow White’s failure squarely on Zegler’s shoulders.
However, many are accusing Disney of a “hit job” and a “campaign” to blame the movie’s failure on Zegler’s expressed politics. Journalists and other public figures have publicly supported Zegler, with some even coming out in her defense. Zegler has chosen not to engage with the controversy, instead focusing on her upcoming projects.
Zegler’s next role is in Jamie Lloyd’s West End production of Evita, a stage show that will remind people how she got into this mess – by being a talented singer and actress. Despite Snow White currently holding a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Zegler’s performance has received mostly positive reviews.
Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/snow-whites-failure-has-turned-rachel-zegler-into-a-scapegoat-and-an-icon