Rachel Zegler Said ‘Free Palestine’ and Disney Couldn’t Handle It
Rachel Zegler is the newest “Snow White,” and her take on the character is one of resilience and strength. It seems that the Latina actress brought this to the role from her own life. Zegler is not one to shy away from social causes, and a tweet about Palestine caused a major uproar last year. We now know that Zegler refused to back down, even when Disney came to her and pressured her to remove the tweet.
A year ago, Rachel Zegler took a stand for Palestine in a tweet in connection with “Snow White”
The original tweet celebrated the number of views the “Snow White” trailer received in 24 hours. After thanking fans, she added to the tweet and wrote, “and always remember, free Palestine.” The Palestine tweet got more likes and retweets than the original one celebrating the release of the “Snow White” trailer.
A new article from Variety, written by Tatiana Siegel, looked into what transpired with Zegler and Disney officials, a contentious relationship. Shortly after posting the tweet, Disney jumped into damage control and attempted to convince Zegler to change her language.
According to Variety, Disney hired a social media guru to vet Zegler’s posts. Additionally, a Disney executive went to New York and tried to convince Zegler to take down the tweet. To Disney’s chagrin, Zegler stood on business and refused to take down the post.
The narrative seems to show that Disney was woefully unprepared to work with an actor who holds and shares beliefs on controversial topics. The debate on Israel and Palestine has touched all parts of the world. People in various industries have spoken out on either side.
Co-star Gal Gadot’s Israeli heritage likely played a role in Disney’s response. Disney claims that Gadot faced increased death threats and required additional security during the press tour for “Snow White.”
While that is likely, the emotional response from pro-Palestinian supporters against Israeli nationals is not new. The sentiment has been brewing since Hamas launched a brutal attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Disney and Zegler have a very public, contentious relationship that started during “West Side Story”
Recently, Zegler opened up about how she was treated by studio executives at Disney who questioned her Latinidad.
According to Allure, Zegler shared that “white” Disney studio executives relentlessly questioned Zegler’s Latina heritage.
“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” Zegler told Allure. “When I was in the running for María in West Side Story, they kept calling to ask if I was legit. I remember thinking, Do you want me to bring my abuelita in? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her.”
The frustration of proving your Latinidad is something that so many people are familiar with, especially when dealing with white people. There is this idea that just won’t die that Latino people are all the same color or have the same names. Walking through life as an Afro-Latino person or white presenting person has real ramifications.
Latino people are not a monolith. We come with different religions, sexual orientations, gender expressions, races, and, believe it or not, names. Facing down people questioning your identity because you don’t fit their view of the world is exhausting. Being told that you’re not Latino enough by people outside of the community is draining.
This isn’t the first time that Siegel has pushed back against a Latina actor who supports Palestine
Melissa Barrera, who was fired from the “Scream” franchise for her pro-Palestine language, called out Siegel on social media. Barrera went through and found multiple pieces that allegedly pushed back against Barrera and Zegler. Siegel wrote all of them. Barrera went further and called Siegel’s article a hit piece, trying to taint Zegler as an actor.
