Disney’s new live-action Snow White remake has made Rachel Zegler a household name. But given how poorly received it’s been, is this necessarily a good thing for her career?
Since the film’s release last month, Snow White has faced widespread criticism. With a budget estimated between $240 million and $270 million, it has grossed only $168.6 million at the box office so far, marking a huge financial disappointment for Disney.
But Snow White‘s problems go back a lot further than its recent theatrical release. Much of the backlash stems from the film’s creative choices, including Rachel Zegler’s casting as Snow White to the reimagining of the seven dwarfs from real actors into CGI characters.
Not to mention Zegler’s ill-advised criticism of the original 1937 film, as valid as it may be.
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Before transforming into the Disney Princess, Rachel Zegler was best known for appearing in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake (2021) and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), which was a prequel to the hugely successful Hunger Games film series starring Jennifer Lawrence as the lead character, Katniss Everdeen.
Back then, Zegler was not a controversial figure. In fact, she was so beloved that she was often mentioned by Star Wars fans as a perfect choice to play a young Ahsoka Tano in live-action. While she didn’t land the part of the character in the live-action Ahsoka series—with Rosario Dawson stepping in as the adult version and Ariana Greenblatt portraying the younger Ahsoka—there’s still a possibility she could take on the role in the future.
The question is whether or not Star Wars fans would now accept her into the role. There’s no denying that Zegler has become a hot topic for all the wrong reasons, but would she end up bringing too much baggage to a role fans of the faraway galaxy hold dear?
That said, Star Wars is no stranger to controversy, either. From the sequel trilogy films (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker) to last year’s Disney+ series, The Acolyte, which caused a rift within the fandom so big it could easily rival Snow White, it’s hard to imagine any future Star Wars project without a major dose of controversy. As the saying goes, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Unless it’s Snow White, of course.
Could Zegler be the next Ahsoka? Let us know what you think in the comments!
