Disney cast Rachel Zegler to star as the titular character in the upcoming live action remake of the classic 1938 animation ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, opposite Gal Gadot’s Evil Queen.
The studio’s touting of representation as a selling point of the feature film, however, appeared hypocritical to Peter Dinklage.
“Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White – but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the actor told Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
This marketing approach doesn’t make sense, Dinklage said, considering how the story portrays the seven dwarfs. The actor is among the most recognized little people in the world, thanks to his stellar career in the entertainment industry.
“You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f**king backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough,” he said.
Disney responded to the observation, promising not to make the dwarfs in the upcoming film stereotypical like in the original.
“We are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” a spokesman for the company told the Hollywood Reporter. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
The casting of the half-Colombian breakout star of the ‘West Side Story’ remake as the new Snow White was first announced in June of last year, with many gushing over how she will be the first live action Latina Disney princess.
The casting choice, however, was ridiculed by some who wondered if it was appropriate for a character described as “the fairest of them all” in a story set in Germany.
Responding to critics, Zegler said, “yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role,” in a since-deleted tweet.