Who Is Rachel Zegler, Disney’s New ‘Snow White’?

Rachel Zegler‘s breakthrough role as Maria in Steven Spielberg‘s upcoming movie musical West Side Story hasn’t even landed in theaters yet, but Disney already seems convinced that she’s ready for an even bigger spotlight. Zegler is reportedly set to star as Snow White in Disney‘s live-action adaptation of the film, which was Disney’s very first animated feature. Marc Webb is currently attached to direct the project, with Marc Platt producing.

“Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts. Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale,” Webb said.

Zegler’s auditions “impressed everyone”, per Deadline‘s reporting, but another factor that played into the casting was her performance West Side Story. Disney studio execs saw footage from the upcoming movie musical, and the fact that the film them “blew away” aided the decision across the finish line. Along with West Side Story, Zegler is also set to have her big comic-book movie break in DC’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

In honor of the casting news, Zegler shared some old tweets and photos to celebrate her new role. “i wanna be a real disney princess,” the actress wrote in 2017, attaching photos of herself as Ariel. She also shared a video of her posing with Snow White, joking, “homegirl we have LOTS to catch up on.”

What is Rachel Zegler’s ethnicity?

The casting of Zegler as Snow White marks a step towards Disney diversifying its slate of Disney Princess characters. Zegler, a New Jersey native, was born in 2001 to a mother of Columbian descent; her father is of Polish descent. Zegler self-identifies as a Columbian-American, as she told Variety back in 2019 when she was cast as the lead in West Side Story. “As a Colombian-American, I am humbled by the opportunity to play a role that means so much to the Hispanic community,” she said about her role as Maria.

Regarding Disney’s mission to support colorblind casting, it’s also worth noting that Halle Bailey, a Black actress, has already been tapped to play Ariel in the upcoming live-action Little Mermaid movie that’s currently in production.

Production on Snow White, meanwhile, is expected to start in 2022, almost a century after the first Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cartoon landed in theaters. The original, which released in 1938, was based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale and was a massive success for the studio. Because who wouldn’t love Dopey, the silly dwarf with a lopsided purple hat?

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the duo behind La La Land and The Greatest Showman, will write new songs for the movie. According to Deadline, the main reason why the studio is taking its time on the adaptation is that they want to make sure they get the music right. Insiders also said that “higher-ups are excited” by the early creations of Pasek and Paul for the project.

At the moment, no other casting news has been announced of Disney’s live-action Snow White movie — but someday our prince will come, right?

Where to Watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs