Rachel Zegler's Snow White moniker has a different origin story.
In an interview with Variety, the actress, 23, said her princess character's name in Disney's live-action reimagining of Snow White stems from a different version than the 1937 animated film.
“It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby,” Zegler said. “And so the king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience."
"One of the core points in our film for any young woman or young person is remembering how strong you actually are," she added.
Disney's 1937 animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is based on the version of the fairy tale published by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century. Those iterations described the character as having "skin as white as snow."
Related: Snow White Live-Action Movie: All About the Remake Starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot
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Rachel Zegler and Snow White
Zegler dealt with some online backlash after her casting in the title role made headlines in 2021, backlash that continued after she said in interviews that the new version would modernize Snow White for today's audiences.
“In all honesty, it made me sad that it was taken in such a way, because I believe that women can do anything. But I also believe that they can do everything," Zegler told Variety.
“I would never want to box someone in and say, ‘If you want love, then you can’t work.’ Or ‘If you want to work, then you can’t have a family.’ It’s not true. It’s never been true. It can be very upsetting when things get taken out of context or jokes don’t land,” she added.
“The love story is very integral. A lot of people wrote that we weren’t doing [that storyline] anymore — we were always doing that; it just wasn’t what we were talking about on that day.”
Related: Rachel Zegler Calls for 'Less Hatred' After 'Hardest Year of My Life' Left Her 'Afraid for My Safety in Public'
Disney Rachel Zegler in 2025's Snow White
Disney released a trailer for the upcoming movie musical, which stars Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, at D23 on Aug. 9. The movie is directed by Marc Webb and features original songs from the Oscar-winning and Tony-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
