Disney and Rachel Zegler: A Tale of Controversy and Ambition
On August 12, 2024, just days after captivating Disney fans at the D23 event with the “Snow White” trailer, Rachel Zegler took to X to express her heartfelt gratitude. The teaser had amassed a staggering 120 million views in just a day. Yet, a mere minute later, her follow-up tweet “…and always remember, free Palestine,” gained even more traction, hitting 8.8 million views. This unexpected twist left many within Disney astounded as they couldn’t fathom the combination of their anticipated $270 million film promotion with a political message. One studio executive voiced concerns to Zegler’s team, and producer Marc Platt personally approached her in New York. Despite the tension, Zegler, who had a rocky relationship with Disney since the 2022 “West Side Story” campaign and her critique of the classic “Snow White,” refused to retract the post. Meanwhile, threats toward Gal Gadot, her co-star and Israeli actress, escalated, forcing Disney to enhance security measures for Gadot and her family.
As the U.S. election concluded three months later, Zegler sparked further controversy on Instagram, posting harsh criticisms against Donald Trump and his supporters. Disney’s patience wore thin. With the risk of alienating half the potential audience of an already beleaguered project plagued by expensive reshoots, Platt intervened once more. After extensive discussions, Zegler agreed to collaborate with a social media consultant, hired by Disney, to screen her posts leading up to the film’s March 21 release. Disney and Zegler both refrained from public comments on the issue.
The film’s disappointing opening weekend is now a point of analysis for Disney executives. “Snow White,” which pocketed $87 million globally, did not meet expectations—coming in $34 million shy compared to Warner Bros.’ “Joker: Folie à Deux,” despite a larger production budget by $70 million. One competitor studio executive criticized the results for a high-budget remake of such a beloved story, which grossed a mere $43 million domestically, warning it should have been a billion-dollar success.
The ongoing tensions between Disney and Zegler spotlight the delicate balance Hollywood studios strive for when managing stars with bold social media presences. Gadot, maintaining a neutral stance in geopolitics, limited her remarks to supporting victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas assault, keeping promotion strictly professional. Zegler’s previous grievances with Disney over her lack of invitation to the 2022 Oscars further strained relationships. Despite being the lead in “West Side Story,” Disney’s Sean Bailey refused to release her from “Snow White” filming in London, only for Zegler to speak out publicly until awarded a last-minute ticket.
Zegler’s criticisms of the original 1937 “Snow White” at D23—asserting the prince “literally stalks” the heroine—marked another controversial moment. Industry insiders suggested that Disney should have curtailed these narratives early on. Instead, silence allowed the controversy to grow and alienate traditionalists. Disney’s hesitance to act was likely influenced by ongoing legal disputes, like Gina Carano’s lawsuit alleging wrongful firing from “The Mandalorian” over contentious social media remarks.
Box office analyst Jeff Bock highlighted that “Snow White’s” perpetual controversies muddied its reception and that substandard reviews didn’t help, potentially resigning the film to streaming service viewership rather than box office success. He added that a sparse release calendar might afford the film some longevity, though the weak debut looms large.
Reports suggesting a rift between Zegler and Gadot proved misleading; the two were amicable during filming, though pre-release promotion stirred tensions. Zegler’s seemingly dismissive “a professional pageant queen” comment directed at Gadot after their Oscar presentation added fuel to the gossip fire.
Disney, it seems, fanned these flames by scheduling the stars separately for promotional obligations. At the March 15 premiere, traditional red-carpet chats were replaced with a more subdued event where the leads were strategically distanced. At the screening, Zegler sat notably apart from Gadot and her family.
By then, Disney had resigned itself to the fact that the swirling backlash surrounding “Snow White” would overshadow any attempts at redemption.