Rachel Zegler says Snow White backlash brought 'threats to my safety'

"I was told I wasn't enough of one thing for West Side Story and too much of another for Snow White. It was a really confusing time to be in my early twenties and hearing that. I grew up proud of being Colombian - eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult."

"I do think there's an argument to be made that, in the public eye at least, when you're two things, you're simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else's comfort. If I'd been able to predict everything that would come my way... I would have just thrown my phone into the ocean."

"The experience brought threats to my safety. I wish I'd had maybe five more years on me before all that happened - a little more of a frontal lobe."

Rachel Zegler, known for her role in West Side Story, was cast as Snow White in Disney's live-action adaptation and experienced significant online criticism regarding her ethnicity and appearance. The actress faced conflicting feedback about her identity, being told she was insufficient for one role and excessive for another. Zegler expressed pride in her Colombian heritage while confronting public perception that multiethnic individuals are perceived as neither one thing nor another. The backlash included threats to her safety, prompting her to reflect that she would have avoided the role had she foreseen the consequences. She acknowledged wishing for greater maturity and emotional resilience during this challenging period in her early twenties.

Read at The Independent