Rachel Zegler has shared a plethora of backstage snaps from the set of Snow White, gushing that making the film was a ‘life-changing’ experience.
The actress, 23 – who plays the iconic Disney princess in the live-action ‘woke‘ remake which hits cinemas on March 21 – took to Instagram on Thursday to give fans a never-before-seen snapshot of her time on set.
Among the images, Rachel could be seen larking around with her co-stars and having some moments to herself backstage, noting how she ‘became a real adult’ during the course of the film, adding that it has a ‘huge chunk of my heart’.
However, quite notably, Rachel failed to include a single image of Gal Gadot, her co-star who played the Evil Queen, amid rumours of a brewing feud between the actresses.
Sources have claimed the pair have ‘nothing in common’, citing their age gap – Zegler is 23 and Gadot is 39 – and differing political views.
Captioning her post, Rachel penned: ‘This movie was a life-changing experience that has held about four years of my career. the growing up you do from the age of twenty (when I was cast) to twenty-three (the age I am now) cannot be accurately described, yet they exist here on film forever.
Rachel Zegler has shared a plethora of backstage snaps from the set of Snow White, gushing that making the film was a ‘life-changing’ experience
The actress, 23 – who plays the iconic Disney princess in the live-action ‘ woke ‘ remake – took to Instagram on Thursday to give fans a never-before-seen snapshot of her time on set
‘I became a real adult during the course of this film— learned hard lessons, did hard things, laughed, cried, turned 21, lived across the ocean from my family, made new friends, and completely fell in love with this group of people I got to work with for three magical summers in London.
‘We had the greatest crew in the world on this movie. It cannot be overstated. This photo dump doesn’t even dig into the fun, the magic, and the love that was shared throughout this process. But it’s a start. ‘snow white’ is now in theaters.
‘It’s a huge chunk of my heart and it’s now yours. I hope you enjoy and feel the magic we were lucky enough to live each day. And remember, you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.’
Further images and clips from Rachel’s post included the actress practicing riding on a horse, her chilling out between takes and snippets of the editing process.
There is also a snap of the controversial diverse range of actors were were originally set to play Snow’s companions before they were replaced with CGI dwarfs amid a backlash.
Meanwhile, her gushing caption appears to be her continuation of her apparent U-turn on her views of her movie after she previously branded the original Snow White movie ‘weird’ and ‘sexist’.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Rachel cut a chic figure as she exited the special screening of Disney’s ‘Snow White’ at The Whitby Hotel in New York.
Instead of a lavish red carpet rollout or elaborate Snow White-themed decor, Rachel and other guests had earlier posed for photos in front of a red rose backdrop in the hotel’s lobby.
![However, quite notably, Rachel failed to include a single image of Gal Gadot [pictured], her co-star who played the Evil Queen, amid rumours of a brewing feud between the actresses](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/03/21/09/96425427-14522671-image-a-14_1742548813763.jpg)
However, quite notably, Rachel failed to include a single image of Gal Gadot [pictured], her co-star who played the Evil Queen, amid rumours of a brewing feud between the actresses
Among the images, Rachel could be seen larking around with her co-stars and having some moments to herself backstage
She also noted how she ‘became a real adult’ during the course of the film, adding that it has a ‘huge chunk of my heart’
Captioning her post, Rachel penned: ‘This movie was a life-changing experience that has held about four years of my career’
The casual tone of the event — which is uncharacteristic for Disney — was also reflected in Rachel’s outfit, which consisted of a sequin top, flared trousers and heels.
And the star made an equally low-key from the event as she later donned a black leather jacket and hastily made her way to a waiting car.
The $240million reboot has been plagued by controversy over it’s ‘woke’ reimagining and a brewing ‘feud’ between Zegler and Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen.
Zegler herself has spawned backlash following her public condemnation of President Donald Trump and his supporters following the 2024 election and her past criticism of the animated 1937 film, which she called ‘sexist’ and ‘weird’ in a 2022 interview.
Snow White has been slammed as ‘exhaustingly awful’ in early reviews and Disney appears to be bracing for a disastrous opening weekend due to poor box office predictions.
It follows her appearance on Thursday’s episode of Good Morning America, in which she took fans by surprise by gushing about how ‘honored’ she was to play the iconic princess.
Further images and clips from Rachel’s post included the actress practicing riding on a horse, her chilling out between takes and snippets of the editing process
The actress was snapped playing with a cute dog during her downtime
She shared a glimpse of the editing process
Rachel beamed as she sported an elaborate white gown for ne moment in the film
The West Side Story star showcased her closeness with her co-stars, but failed to include Gal Gadot
Rachel is snapped reading on set in a behind-the-scenes moment from filming
There is also a snap of the controversial diverse range of actors were were originally set to play Snow’s companions before they were replaced with CGI dwarfs amid a backlash.
Rachel – who attended a screening of the film later in the day – also claimed to be a ‘huge Disney fan’ despite her past criticisms.
‘It was the honor of a lifetime. I think every young person dreams about a phone call like that,’ Zegler said of getting cast by Disney in 2021. ‘This one is certainly extra special as a huge Disney fan.
‘To get to bring her to life in such a unique way and such a special way, it’s just a beautiful opportunity, and I’m very honored.’
‘It was the honor of a lifetime. I think every young person dreams about a phone call like that,’ Zegler said of getting cast by Disney in 2021.
‘This one is certainly extra special as a huge Disney fan.
‘To get to bring her to life in such a unique way and such a special way, it’s just a beautiful opportunity, and I’m very honored.’
Elsewhere on Thursday, Rachel cut a chic figure as she exited the special screening of Disney’s ‘Snow White’ at The Whitby Hotel in New York
The casual tone of the event — which is uncharacteristic for Disney — was reflected in Rachel’s outfit, which consisted of a sequin top, flared trousers and heels
And the star made an equally low-key from the event as she later donned a black leather jacket and hastily made her way to a waiting car
Elsewhere in Thursday’s interview, Zegler spoke about the film’s ‘modern’ twist, which has been heavily criticized as ‘woke’ due to tweaks made to the ‘sexist’ romance plot and the replacement of dwarf actors with CGI.
‘It’s all about bridging a classic to a modern age to bring it to these beautiful young people,’ Zegler told viewers.
‘[Snow White’s] superpower remains her heart, you know, that’s always been the core of this story.
‘That’s always been the core of the Disney Company.’
She also insisted that the upcoming live-action film is for both children and the ‘inner child in all of us.’
Zegler first criticized David Hand’s 1937 original animated Snow White in 2022 during an interview with Extra TV at that year’s D23 Expo.
She called the film ‘extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power.’ She also admitted she has only seen it once.
‘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. So we didn’t do that this time,’ Zegler told the interviewer.
Snow White has been slammed as ‘exhaustingly awful’ in early reviews and Disney appears to be bracing for a disastrous opening weekend due to poor box office predictions
Rachel herself has spawned backlash following her past criticism of the original animated 1937 film, which she called ‘sexist’ and ‘weird’ in a 2022 interview; seen Thursday
However, Rachel appeared to change her tune on Thursday as she gushed about how ‘honored’ she was to play the iconic princess during an appearance on GMA
Rachel also spoke about the film’s ‘modern’ twist, which has been heavily criticized as ‘woke’ due to tweaks made to the ‘sexist’ romance plot and the replacement of dwarf actors with CGI
‘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.’
The ‘guy’ she is referring to, Andrew Burnap, plays a man named Jonathan.
‘All of Andrew’s scenes could get cut, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!’ Zegler joked.
Zegler also previously revealed she refused to sing the beloved song Some Day My Prince Will Come from the 1937 classic.
‘We didn’t do that this time. I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again,’ Zegler told Variety in 2022.
Zegler said her character is ‘not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be,’ when she spoke at the Disney expo last year.
‘She’s dreaming about becoming the leader that her late father told her she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true,’ she later gushed to Variety as her co-star Gadot smiled beside her.
