Rachel Zegler Explains the Origin of Snow White’s Name in Live-Action Movie

Rachel Zegler, the star of the upcoming live-action iteration of Snow White, has revealed that her character’s name has a new origin story in the movie. Directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, the movie draws inspiration from the 1937 animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The latter was an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 fairy tale Snow White.

Rachel Zegler reveals Snow White’s name has a new origin in live-action movie

Both the Brothers Grimm’s fairytale and the 1937 animated film describe Snow White as having “skin white as snow” and “hair black as ebony.” (Although, the fairytale compares the red of her lips to blood, while the movie compares it to a rose.)

Reflecting on the first trait, Zegler, who is of Colombian and Polish descent, explained that the name of her character has a new origin story in the live-action adaptation. “It fell back to another version of Snow White that was told in history, where she survived a snowstorm that occurred when she was a baby,” the West Side Story actress told Variety.

“And so the king and queen decided to name her Snow White to remind her of her resilience. One of the core points in our film for any young woman or young person is remembering how strong you actually are,” Zegler continued. After the announcement of her casting, there was considerable outrage on social media. This partly stemmed from how the character is described in the fairytale and Disney’s animated feature.

In July 2023, Zegler addressed the backlash on X (formerly Twitter). “Extremely appreciative of the love I feel from those defending me online, but please don’t tag me in the nonsensical discourse about my casting,” she posted. “I really, truly do not want to see it. So I leave you w [with] these photos! I hope every child knows they can be a princess no matter what.”

Zegler also revealed to Variety that Snow White is her mother’s favorite princess. She added, “When she was growing up, there weren’t a lot of dark-haired princesses, and that was the one she could relate to.”

Snow White debuts in the US theaters on March 21, 2025.