Movies

Disney Fears Backlash as Snow White Actor Slams ‘Woke’ Controversy

BBG News

Snow White actor Martin Klebba has stated that Disney is ‘afraid of blowback’ ahead of the release of the live-action remake amid the film’s ‘woke’ controversy. 

The star, 55 – who recently slammed the company for scaling back on the Hollywood premiere – opened up about the backlash surrounding the movie, partly because of the politically charged comments of its leading lady Rachel Zegler.

The actor – who voiced the character of Grumpy – is no stranger to working with Disney and played the role of Marty in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise. 

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Klebba commented on Saturday’s screening of Snow White in L.A. and explained, ‘It really isn’t going to be a red carpet.

The event will take place at the El Capitan Theatre, which is quite exciting. However, it’s essentially just a pre-movie gathering, watch the film, and that’s all there is to it.

Martin stated, “They won’t have a grand fanfare like, ‘Disney’s very first film ever created.’ Due to the ongoing controversy, they are cautious about potential backlash from various segments of society.

Previously, Klebba voiced his dissatisfaction over the toned-down opening night gala in Hollywood compared to what he had expected, which was a grand, red-carpet event.

TMZ reported the actor – who is also known for appearing in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise – is ‘seriously bummed and a bit pissed.’ 

He briefly commented on the controversies surrounding the movie, as well as the political opinions of the leading stars but said it ‘shouldn’t have overshadowed everyone else’s hard work.’ 

A large scale premiere would have also taken place at Leicester Square in London, but an insider informed DailyMail.com earlier this month that a decision was made to not hold one for the upcoming movie.

‘Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled press events,’ the source stated.

‘That is why they have taken the highly unusual step not to host a London premiere for the film and are minimizing the amount of press questions that Rachel Zegler gets.’

Rachel has been embroiled in drama following her controversial comments on the Disney animation.

Her comment about the movie’s plot being strange and referring to the prince as a ‘pursuer’ caused quite a stir.

In a past interview, Zegler shared that the upcoming movie will take a different approach and stated that the character of Snow White won’t be rescued by the prince and she won’t be daydreaming about true love.

In an interview, Zegler disclosed that the new film will deviate from the traditional tale and the character of Snow White won’t be saved by a prince and won’t be preoccupied with dreams of true love.)

The star also faced backlash when she was first cast as Snow White as a Latina actress. 

In response to the negative reception, Rachel penned in a since-deleted post: ‘yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role (sic).’ 

Peter Dinklage previously hit back at Disney for remaking Snow White which he labeled as a ‘f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.’

Klebba shared with THR, “Politics isn’t usually my thing, but I couldn’t help feeling, ‘Little people won’t vanish simply because they are unseen by some.’

‘We’re still going to be walking around. So I didn’t get the whole stuff about not doing the dwarfs. The story’s been around forever, and it’s a classic.’

Back in 2023, the adaptation of the classic 1937 animation was delayed for a major overhaul after negative reception to the film having seven ‘magical (non-dwarf) creatures.’ 

Instead, the seven dwarves were replaced through the use of CGI which he said was the best way to go.

It’s been whispered that there may be tension backstage between Rachel and Gal due to their differing opinions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

A reliable source shared with People magazine that the two celebrities have no shared interests and further mentioned that they hold opposing political beliefs, which only serves to increase their animosity towards each other.

It was also revealed that Disney has ‘zero faith’ in the upcoming film and that the movie bosses simply want to get the movie’s limited promo ‘over with,’ per The Hollywood Reporter.

A source stated, “A sales cycle of less than two weeks implies we have no confidence in this product.” This statement is particularly problematic at a time when the industry is struggling to survive until May.

However, insiders for Disney expressed that they, ‘always intended to hold back the film’s big promotional push until the final few weeks, beginning when Zegler and Gadot presented together at the Oscars on March 2.’

On Wednesday, Rachel made an appearance at a secret premiere for Snow White which was held at a remote castle in Segovia – a city located north west of Madrid.

The lowkey European event had 100 VIP guests in attendance which included families and content creators.

Zegler had the chance to sing Waiting On A Wish for the crowd – but was not joined by any of her other Snow White castmates, such as Gal Gadot.

Sources recently informed Page Six that Disney ‘doesn’t know what to do’ with ‘out of control’ Zegler.

‘Disney’s lead actress is out of control. They don’t know what to do,’ an insider told the outlet.

She’s a vocal individual in her twenties, and Disney executives have reached out to her personally to request that she moderate her social media posts. However, they’ve also contacted her management, yet she appears unresponsive to their requests.

The source stated, “From start to finish during filming, things have been like this. What’s distressing, though, is the connection being made between her political views and Snow White.

Late last year in November, separate sources claimed that Disney bosses viewed Rachel as a ‘loose cannon.’

At the time, Zegler had slammed Donald Trump voters – but later issued an apology for hoping that ‘Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.’

A confidant shared with DailyMail.com that they wished they could silence her now, but it’s already past that point. Discussions about replacing Rachel from her role had occurred numerous times during filming in 2022.

‘She is a loose cannon and caused issues during the production because she didn’t agree with how the film plot strayed from the classic movie’s plot.’

They added that before filming, Zegler ‘read the script. If she didn’t like it then she should have not taken it. It wasn’t until after the film was wrapped that she really started creating drama.

‘She has been a nightmare but there is nothing they can do to control what she says. Everyone is well-aware of how difficult she is.’

Currently, postponing the release of the movie is no longer an option. Despite public assumptions that her latest remarks and scandals could harm the film, this seems unlikely to be the reality.

‘If anything, it generates more publicity and attention to the film, which leads to increased ticket sales. The film is Snow White, and it could really sell with anyone in the lead.’

While talking to Vogue Mexico, Rachel opened up about the backlash that Snow White has received.

She expressed that the reactions to this movie seem deeply emotional. It’s truly an privilege to contribute to something that stirs such strong emotions in people.

The actress stated, “It’s not always the case that our emotions align with those of others. What we can do, though, is offer our very best.

Zegler also told the outlet, ‘I understand that the community doesn’t want to be seen as a monolith, but the reality of being Latino and working in this industry is that we try to represent the entire diaspora.

‘I know where I have been, I represent it in my narrative and I carry it in my heart every day.’

In regards to the 1937 classic and the live-action remake, Rachel explained, ‘It’s very important for the public to know that Disney has found this beautiful and delicate balance between the animated classic that everyone knows and loves from 1937, and at the same time, introduces it to this new generation.’

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2025-03-16 11:01

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