“I love you so much, forever and ever. Remember to be kind. Be patient and sensitive to each other. Remember that you are loved unconditionally, regardless of your mistakes and misunderstandings. They earn it. You deserve love. “You deserve to live without fear.”
These words were written by Rachel Zegler on Twitter (now X), without specifying to whom they were addressed.
However, many assume that it is probably a reaction to the controversy surrounding “Snow White,” the flesh-and-blood version of the Disney animated classic, which will be released in 2024 and in which the actress brings Snow White to life.
BORN TO BE A PRINCESS
Rachel Zegler was born on May 3, 2001 in Hackensack, New Jersey (USA). The daughter of Gina and Craiz Zegler, she has a younger sister, Jacqueline.
On her mother’s side, Rachel has Colombian ancestry while on her father’s side she has Polish ancestors.
Even as a child, Rachel showed her artistic calling. He grew up in Clifton and initially attended St. Philip the Apostle Preparatory School. He later attended Immaculate Conception School and participated in the musical theater group there.
During this time, Rachel played Disney princesses by appearing in the musicals Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.
He also starred in other musicals such as Shrek, 42nd Street, Legally Blonde, Les Miserables, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Rent.
Rachel Zegler’s name will take up a lot of media space when her work in the role of Snow White hits theaters.EFE/EPA/ALLISON DINNER
In 2015, Rachel started to upload videos to her YouTube account in which she performs versions of major hits as well as songs she composed herself.
The channel is currently still open with user @RachelZeglerLovesHugs and has around 237,000 subscribers.
His life changed when Steven Spielberg called for a “casting” on Twitter in 2018 to find the protagonists of his film adaptation of the musical “West Side Story,” for which he was looking for actors of Latin American descent and/or Spanish-speaking origins.
Rachel responded by sharing videos of her performances of the songs “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty” and was chosen from more than 30,000 applicants. This is how her debut as an actress brought María to life.
Despite her youth, Rachel Zegler has had a very successful career.Javier Rojas/EFE
“I am very excited to play this iconic character. alongside this incredible cast,” Zegler said in statements published by Variety.
“It was the first musical I found with a Latina protagonist, and as a Colombian American, it is an honor to have the opportunity to play a role that means so much to the Hispanic community.”
Without accusatory words
Additionally, thanks to her work in West Side Story, the actress found more than just fame: love. Because since they met on set in 2019, Rachel and her co-star Josh Andrés Rivera have started a romance that is still going strong.
Recently, in March 2023, Rachel returned to the big screen with the film “Shazam!” Rage of the gods.
With the sometimes controversial honesty that characterizes her, the actress admitted that she took the role because “she needed the job,” as she explained to the Hollywood Reporter.
“The truth is that we were in the middle of a pandemic, I didn’t have a job and I couldn’t get one because West Side Story (which premiered in 2021) hadn’t come out yet… It was very difficult to find work.”
The actress also took the opportunity to defend the film after the premiere via Twitter and pointed out that despite the bad reviews, the audience’s rating was very good: “There are people out there who are unfair and unnecessarily cruel,” said .
“And yes, I know, I know, ‘if you can’t take criticism…’ and it’s all true. But our film is really good. Nowadays it is fashionable to hate for fun. In order. “Let’s be good,” he demanded.
After the release of “West Side Story”, Rachel Zegler found it no longer so difficult to find a job because she was also chosen for the main role in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, which was released on Hits theaters November 17th. .
But what kept the actress in the media spotlight in recent months was her choice to play Snow White in Disney’s next live-action: “I never in a million years imagined this would be possible for me. “,” the actress told Variety in 2022, explaining that “you don’t typically see Snow White of Latin descent.”
Rachel Zegler (l.) and her current partner, the actor Josh Andrés Rivera in an archive photo.EFE/EPA/DAVID SWANSON
The apple of controversy
And the fact that the character traditionally had very pale skin (hence her name) and Rachel is Latina sparked all sorts of reactions online.
Similar to Hailey Bailey and The Little Mermaid, networks were divided between those who supported Zegler and accused his critics of racism and those who expressed anger over the election.
The actress, to whom Bailey herself showed her support, responded to the controversy via Twitter a few months ago: “I really appreciate the love of those who defend me, but please don’t tag me in all this meaningless speech,” she wrote : and showed photos of her dressed as Snow White and other princesses as a child, adding her wish that “no matter what happens, all girls know they can be princesses.”
Far from settling the controversy, Hailey’s request only fueled it, with some salvaging a tweet the actress posted in 2021 after learning of her decision, but which she later deleted: “Yes I will.” Snow White. No, I won’t bleach my skin for the role.”
In addition, the actress’s statements have caused controversy in recent months. And Rachel described the original 1937 animated film as “creepy” (“scary” in English) and strange, admitting that “I had only seen it once before the cast” and claiming that the film was “really dated”. with regard to the role of women.”
According to Zegler, “the original film focuses on a love story with a man (the prince) who literally pursues Snow White.” And about the male role in this new version, he joked that the actor “Andrew Burnap is a great guy,” but ” all his scenes could be deleted.”
Because for the actress, this next adaptation is “not at all about the love story, which is really wonderful… and whether she finds love or not will be uncertain until 2024,” but rather it is about “becoming the… Her late father told her she could become a leader if she was brave, fair and honest.”
In addition, Rachel Zegler supported the recent strike of actors and screenwriters in Hollywood by participating in the picket lines and in a video published on Toonando she said the following: “If I spend 18 hours a day in the dress of an icon.” Disney -Princess: “I deserve to be paid for every hour I broadcast online.”
All of these statements have caused social media users to be even more divided between critics and defenders of the actress.
However, she didn’t want to respond directly to the controversy and still seems ready to bite the bullet while wishing for “the world to be a better place” via Twitter.