Rachel Zegler‘s comments about the upcoming live action Snow White remake could have ‘a huge impact on ticket sales,’ branding experts have warned.
The 22-year-old actress has received plenty of backlash after she admitted that she ‘hated’ the original 1937 movie and branded the storyline ‘weird,’ while referring to the Prince character as a ‘stalker.’
The big budget Disney movie is scheduled for release in March 2024 and now it has been predicted that executives will be ‘having crisis talks’ in order to do some serious damage limitation following the negative response to Rachel’s stance.
The backlash occurred after several videos of Rachel speaking negatively about the original film in various interviews last year resurfaced online, where she said of her version of the character: ‘She’s not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love.’
As well as being labeled a ‘fake feminist,’ some critics accused Rachel of ‘gaslighting’ and one marketing consultant has warned that Disney will ‘need to be careful with how they have portrayed Snow White.’
Rachel Zegler’s comments about the upcoming Snow White remake could have ‘a huge impact on ticket sales,’ branding experts have warned
Transformation: The 22-year-old actress will play the Disney Princess in the upcoming live action remake
Disney classic: During a 2022 interview, Rachel admitted that she ‘hated’ the original 1937 movie
Speaking to DailyMail.com, branding expert Carla Speight said: ‘Whilst it’s been clear that the original Disney Princess films hold old values, Disney have fallen for the trap of going to the opposite extreme to inflict strong and loaded messaging on the viewers – believing that’s empowerment.
‘There was a time when Disney actors were media trained and were thoughtful about the impact of their words, whilst sticking to key messaging about the films, but it seems with this total rewrite of Snow White, picturing her as a «boss girl» has gone to the heads of their stars.
‘Disney will need to be careful with how they have portrayed Snow White and what they do and don’t allow their actors to say about it going forwards. They simply cannot repeat the same mistakes and allow their actors to be so vocal in their own personal opinions during promotions.
‘It can have a huge impact on ticket sales, especially with the amount of negative backlash so early in the promo trail.’
Carla continued: ‘They need to get the key messaging and strong selling point into a brief for the cast of the film and ensure they stick to it. If they don’t, it’s a disaster waiting to happen and the backlash will keep growing.
‘It’s possibly a good idea to get Rachel to clarify what she meant and highlight it was her own personal opinion, not a slight on women,’ she advised.
‘They should highlight the important message that it’s okay to be who you want to be. After all, Disney has been famously telling us that they’re the place where «dreams do come true» and have never actually defined what those dreams should be. Neither should their actors.’
PR expert Nick Ede agrees and told DailyMail.com that perhaps Rachel ‘isn’t the best person to promote the film’ – despite playing the main character.
Not a good look: The brunette star was accused of being a ‘fake feminist’ after her 2022 comments resurfaced
Dynamic duo: Rachel stars alongside Gal Gadot who will take on the role of the Evil Queen
‘Rachel is a big-named star playing one of the world’s most famous fairytale characters immortalized by Disney, but instead of taking the lead of The Little Mermaid’s Halle Bailey and embracing her role, Rachel has actively chosen to spoil the narrative and express the new direction she has taken Snow White in,’ Nick claimed.
‘This is by no means a wrong move and Snow White, and other stories, if they were written today would have very different nuances and narratives but the fact that she’s actively being negative about the source material and laughing off the old Disney film and the fairytale makes her look too eager to show off the new version and shows little or no respect for the previous version and other iterations.
‘I am sure Disney executives must be having crisis talks and thinking perhaps their new Snow White isn’t the best person to promote the film and ensure it is a box office success,’ Nick predicted.
‘The film is due out in 2024 and with the negative narrative that’s now surrounding it, they will find it hard to create a magical and positive hype which they ultimately were looking to get having Rachel appear on red carpets.
‘The negative press may entice people to see what all the fuss is about but unlike the recent Barbie movie, which features brilliant feminist and empowering messages which we only discovered upon viewing, it feels like the cat has been let out of the bag and we already have an opinion of the film thanks to Rachel’s narrative.’
Speaking alongside her co-star Gal Gadot at the D23 Expo in September last year, Rachel promised fans that her version of Snow White is ‘not going to be saved by the prince’ and said ‘she’s not going to be dreaming about true love.’
‘She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true,’ she told Variety.
Back then: In the original Disney film, Snow White befriended seven dwarfs including Grumpy and Dopey
In a separate red carpet interview at the same event, she said: ‘The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird! So we didn’t do that this time.
‘We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie,’ Rachel continued, referring to Andrew Burnap.
‘All of Andrew’s scenes could get cut, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!’ she joked, before admitting in a separate interview that she was ‘terrified’ when she went on a Snow White ride at Disney World.
‘I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again. I’m being so serious,’ she claimed.
‘I watched it once, and then I went on the ride in Disney World, which was called Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Doesn’t sound like something a little kid would like. I was terrified of it, never revisited Snow White again.’
After TikTok and Twitter blew up with a negative response, Rachel seemingly responded to the backlash and tweeted on Friday, August 11: ‘I hope the world becomes kinder.’
A few hours later, she added: ‘I love you very much. Forever and ever. Remember to be kind. Treat each other with patience and empathy.
‘Remember that you are loved unconditionally, no matter your mistakes, no matter your misunderstandings. You deserve it. You deserve love. You deserve to live without fear.’
When one fan replied and asked: ‘Are you also just like extremely exhausted all the time?’ Rachel responded and said: ‘I am so exhausted. I think it’s over for me tbh.’
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for both Rachel and Disney for comment.
