It’s only Monday, but Ben Shapiro couldn’t wait to try and start a new culture war, this time over the casting of a Latina actor to portray the fictional character of Snow White.
Disney is filming a live-action version of the classic fairy tale, with Rachel Zegler ― who starred as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake in 2021, and who is of Colombian and Polish descent ― as Snow White.
Recently, the Daily Mail published some unofficial photos from an exterior set of the Disney film, which were too much for the far-right podcast host to handle.
“They’ve cast Snow White. Snow White is now going to be played by Rachel Zegler. OK?” Shapiro said. “Now, Rachel Zegler, you may know ― again, her name is Snow White. Now, you might consider that racist, but that’s also the name of the actual fairytale.”
Shapiro said that in “the original 1936 ‘Snow White,’” the character is specifically described as having “skin white as snow.” (The movie came out in 1937.) Disney, Shapiro said, must be trolling everyone now by having Zegler play the character.
“[The word ‘white’] is literally in her name. That’s why she has her name,” he said. “So I guess just to like, screw with people, they’re casting ― Rachel Zegler’s a very talented person. It’s weird casting, you might say.” (Zegler’s casting was first announced more than two years ago.)
Zegler, for her part, has said in the past that she identifies as a white Latina.
Being that Snow White is a fictional character, she was unavailable for comment for this story. Folks on Twitter, however, had plenty to say.
Shapiro wasn’t the only conservative trying to gin up controversy over the upcoming children’s film. His Daily Wire colleague Matt Walsh also tried to throw out some red meat against “Snow White,” claiming that Zegler’s casting amounts to “anti-white racism.”
The Daily Mail’s photos stirred up consternation in more ways than one. Last year, “Game of Thrones” actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism, criticized Disney for remaking what he called a “fucking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.” Disney responded in a statement:
To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community.
The Mail’s photos show a group of seven people of varying heights who may or may not be the new movie’s version of the Seven Dwarfs, causing yet more criticism ― both from conservatives, who said all the usual things, and from advocates who say Disney should have cast seven actors with dwarfism in the roles.
Disney has emphasized that the photos are not official promotional material and that they feature “stand-in for some talent.”
The “Snow White” remake, which will also feature Gal Gadot as the evil Queen, is set to be released in 2024.