Actors and musicians, including Ariana Grande and Melissa Barrera, are rallying behind Rachel Zegler after the young actor faced backlash for her involvement in the “Snow White” remake.
Some of Disney’s live-action reimaginings have grossed over a billion dollars at the box office, but the latest remake, “Snow White,” is struggling to break even, grossing $143 million worldwide in its first two weeks.
Forbes estimated that the film would need to gross $427.8 million for Disney to cover the production costs alone.
Some critics have blamed Zegler for its underperformance, citing her political comments during the movie’s press tour and for criticizing the original “Snow White” story while promoting the remake at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2022.
Now fans, journalists, and some celebrities are defending Zegler amid the criticism.
Zegler said Grande, Helen Mirren, and Lucy Liu have reached out privately to her.
Earlier in March, Zegler told Allure that Jameela Jamil and her “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” costars Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu have supported her privately amid public backlash over the last few years.
“Jameela Jamil is like a big sister to me,” she said about “The Good Place” actor. “I love that she has no regrets about being outspoken, about being strong-willed and strong-minded.”
Zegler also said that Grande reached out to her to offer support.
“She is so deeply kind,” Zegler added. “She has gone through so much in the public eye, and I have always really, really admired her courage in the face of all of that.”
Representatives of Jamil, Grande, Mirren, and Liu did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Former “Scream” star Melissa Barrera publicly defended Zegler
On March 25, Variety published an article sharing possible reasons “Snow White” had not performed well, but much of the article seemed to focus on Zegler’s actions throughout the film’s press tour.
A few days later, on March 28, Vanity Fair reported that Barrera reshared a post by a fan of Zegler’s on her Instagram story amid a growing backlash against Variety’s article.
“A newly published hit piece in Variety magazine attempts to paint Rachel Zegler as difficult and politically radical,” the fan wrote. “It doesn’t. It makes her look cool as hell and full of integrity.”
Variety did not respond to a request for comment.
Barrera and Zegler have not worked together, but they have both been vocal on social media in support of Gaza amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Ethel Cain and Pedro Pascal seem to be supporting Zegler publicly
On March 30, fans shared on X that Ethel Cain, an indie artist, had defended Zegler in an Instagram Story post.
“@rachelzegler don’t let em get u down, legend,” she wrote in the post, which Business Insider has seen.
The same day, a screenshot made the rounds on X of Pedro Pascal, “The Mandalorian” and Marvel actor, calling Zegler an “icon” on his Instagram Story.
Business Insider did not view Pascal’s post before the 24-hour time limit, to confirm its validity, and a representative for Pascal didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russell Brand and Jonah Platt have criticized Zegler on social media
Not all celebrities are rallying behind Zegler.
On March 25, Variety, citing an anonymous source, reported that Marc Platt, a producer for “Snow White,” flew to New York to speak to Zegler in August 2024 after she posted “and always, free palestine” in a thread on X that was promoting the remake.
A day later, The Hollywood Reporter said that Jonah Platt, Marc Platt’s son, confirmed this was true in a now-deleted Instagram comment under one of his posts.
Responding to a user questioning his father’s actions, Jonah Platt criticized Zegler, saying she was “dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie” and said this “hurt the film’s box office.”
“Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged,” he added.
A representative for Platt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, Russell Brand, a controversial former actor and right-wing commentator, called Zegler “haughty” in an X post while resharing a clip of Zegler’s video interview with ExtraTV in 2022, in which she criticized the original “Snow White” film.
She’s haughty. That’s the word for it.
But, I’ve been a movie star before, so I understand her predicament. People puff you up and tell you that you’re really important in order to keep you focused on their agenda; monetizing you. pic.twitter.com/bQXe3yMOYH
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) March 26, 2025
Brand said Zegler’s attitude was a product of being a movie star and having people “puff you up.”
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