Being a Disney princess sounds like a dream – until the Internet came along.
Rachel Zegler is opening up about the storm of criticism that followed her rise to fame, including backlash over her roles in West Side Story and the upcoming Disney film. snow White.
In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar United KingdomThe Golden Globe-winning actress reflected on the confusing messages she received from critics in her early 20s.
“I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for West Side Story and too much of another for Snow White. It was a really confusing time being in my early 20s and hearing that,” Rachel said.
The criticism often focused on his legacy – something Zegler says he has always embraced.
“I grew up proud of being Colombian — eating food, wearing dresses, drinking coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a child and who I am as an adult — but I think there’s an argument to be made that, at least in the public eye, when you’re two things, you’re simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anyone’s comfort.”
The online reaction didn’t stop there. Zegler was also criticized for his comments on the original. snow White the film and its views on political issues – a focus that at times became frightening.
“If I could have predicted everything that would happen to me, the threats to my safety, I would have just thrown my phone in the ocean. I think any sane person would have done that,” Rachel said.
Looking back, she admits that fame came a little sooner than expected.
“I wish I was maybe five years older before all this happened – a little more of a frontal lobe…I was a star, but with the caveat that I still had to prove myself.”
