In 2022, Zegler told Entertainment Weekly at Disney's D23 expo that she was scared of the original 1937 "Snow White" movie when she saw it for the first time.

"I watched it once and then I never picked it up again, like I'm being so serious. I watched it once and then I went on the ride in Disney World which was called Snow White's Scary Adventures," Zegler said. "Was terrified of it. Never revisited Snow White again."

At the same event, Zegler criticized the love story aspect of the original movie.

"The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There is a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her," Zegler told Extratv. "Weird, weird. So we didn't do that this time."

These comments sparked a backlash from fans, who thought the remake would radically change the story and that Snow White should not be played by an actor who didn't like the original movie.

In October 2024, Zegler told Variety that her comments were misunderstood and that she had wanted to make the point that Snow White would have other goals than falling in love in the remake.

"I would never want to box someone in and say, 'If you want love, then you can't work.' Or 'If you want to work, then you can't have a family.' It's not true. It's never been true," Zegler said. "It can be very upsetting when things get taken out of context or jokes don't land."

"The love story is very integral. A lot of people wrote that we weren't doing [that storyline] anymore — we were always doing that; it just wasn't what we were talking about on that day," she continued.

Rachel Zegler was born in 2001 to Gina Zegler, a teacher of Colombian descent, and Craig Zegler, a construction worker of Polish descent.

In 2023, Zegler said on "The Tonight Show" that her parents named her after the "Friends" character Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston. Zegler met Aniston for the first time at the People's Choice Awards in 2024.

In 2021, Zegler said on the "Now We're Talking with Drew Gasparini" podcast that she fell in love with musical theater "at a very, very young age" after watching her first Broadway show at age 4.

Zegler said she didn't see theater as a career path until she performed in her first stage show, "Fiddler on the Roof," at 12, and the adults around her said she was a great singer.

After that, she started posting YouTube videos of herself singing popular musical songs.

Zegler began to make a name for herself locally after getting lead roles in productions at Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, New Jersey. She was nominated four years in a row for the Metropolitan High School Theater Awards, a high-school-focused awards show.

Zegler has returned to the theater in the past few years.

In 2024, she made her Broadway debut, starring in "Romeo + Juliet" with Kit Connor. Last week, Deadline reported that Zegler will make her West End debut starring in "Evita."

Zegler's first movie was also a remake.

The actress told Vogue in 2020 that she auditioned for Steven Spielberg's reboot of "West Side Story" in 2018 after a friend sent her a tweet of the casting call–out.

Cindy Tolan, the movie's casting director, told Metro that they saw 30,000 people before picking Zegler for the lead role of Maria.

It's no surprise that a lot of people wanted the part. The original film was a classic and won 10 Oscars.

Zegler told Vogue that she had already applied for college before her casting, so she emailed the head of admissions at Montclair State University in New Jersey to explain why she had to put her education on hold.

It paid off. Zegler's performance received a lot of praise, the film helped launch her career, and the movie was nominated for seven Oscars. Ariana DeBose, Zegler's costar, won the only Oscar for the reboot, in the best supporting actress category.

Josh Andrés Rivera starred alongside Zegler in "West Side Story," playing Chino.

The pair first sparked romance rumors in 2022 when Zegler posted a since-deleted Valentine's Day photo on Instagram. A month later, Zegler called Rivera "the love of my life" when accepting a best actress award for "West Side Story" from the National Board of Review.

Since then, Zegler and Rivera have starred in another film together, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes." Zegler played the lead role, Lucy Gray Baird, and Rivera was in a supporting role, playing Sejanus Plinth.

Many of the songs on Zegler's Spotify page were written by other songwriters, but the actor has also written original songs and posted them on YouTube.

In 2021, Zegler released her first original single on Spotify, "Let Me Try," and wrote on X that it was the "most special song I have ever written."

In a vlog shared on YouTube that same year, Zegler said she was hesitant to release her music because she didn't want to lose control of the narrative and have fans question who the songs were about.

Zegler owns a 2-year-old Goldendoodle named Leonard "Lenny" Bernstein Zegler.

The dog is named after Leonard Bernstein, the 20th-century composer who created the original score for the "West Side Story" stage show.

In an interview with Josh Horowitz published on YouTube, Zegler said she got approval from Bernstein's children to ensure she wasn't tarnishing the composer's legacy.

In the animated movie, the titular character's name refers to her "skin white as snow." In the live-action remake, the movie opens by revealing that Snow White's name is an homage to the weather on the night of her birth. The princess was born on an evening when a blizzard swept through the land, leaving the kingdom in snow and ice.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" does not mention Snow White's parents. Instead, the animated movie kicks off with a storybook passage explaining that Snow White's vain and wicked stepmother feared that someday the princess's beauty would surpass her own, so she dressed her in rags and forced her to work in the scullery.

The 2025 movie starts with a similar storybook revealing that the kingdom was once ruled by Snow White's parents, the king and queen, and the land flourished under them.

Snow White's parents taught her to lead with love and make it a point to remember people's names. They also baked apple pies and distributed them throughout the kingdom to share their wealth with the townspeople.

After the queen falls ill and dies, the Evil Queen arrives, enchants the king, and marries him. It's only after they wed that she's revealed to be evil and power-hungry. The Evil Queen then warns the king of a threat beyond the kingdom and leaves to investigate it, but he never returns and the Evil Queen completely takes over.

In the animated movie, the Evil Queen instructs the huntsman to kill Snow White in a secluded glade and bring her back her heart in a box as proof. He instead tells Snow White to flee into the woods and puts the heart of a pig in the box.

In Webb's film, the huntsman lets Snow White escape and puts an apple in the box. Although this small change doesn't affect the plot, it avoids the unnecessary murder of an animal to trick the queen.

One of the biggest critiques of the animated classic is that the heroine spends most of the movie daydreaming about her Prince Charming someday finding her.

From the start of the 2025 movie, it's established that Snow White's destiny is to be a leader who's fearless, fair, brave, and true. "Someday My Prince Will Come" is replaced by a more empowering "I wish" song for Snow White, called "Waiting On A Wish."

In the updated song, she sings about her hope to become her father's daughter and the kind leader she was raised to be.

Prince Charming from the 1937 movie doesn't really have any discernible, distinguishing traits. He first encounters Snow White after hearing her singing beautifully and then wakes her from a sleeping death with love's first kiss after a lengthy search.

In the modern-day reimagining, there's no Prince Charming on a white horse. Instead, he's replaced with Jonathan, the captain of a group of bandits.

Snow White and Jonathan first meet in the palace scullery, where she's been banished to clean. Snow White sees him stealing food for himself and the other bandits and is caught by the palace guards.

As punishment, the Evil Queen chains him to the gate so he can freeze to death. Snow White saves him by untying him and letting him run free.

When Snow White later encounters Jonathan in the woods, she initially assumes he's just a selfish, common criminal, and he writes her off as an out-of-touch princess. But as they get to know each other, they realize there's more than meets the eye.

Instead of running off for good when the guards detect them, Snow White tricks the enemies and returns to fight alongside the bandits, which surprises and impresses Jonathan.

Meanwhile, Snow White's opinion of Jonathan changes and she develops romantic feelings for him after he selflessly takes an arrow for her and saves her life.

Later, when Jonathan gets captured and thrown in the palace dungeon, he tells the huntsman that Snow White showed him how to have hope and courage.

In the animated "Snow White," the princess cleans up the dwarfs' cottage to earn favor with the inhabitants, hoping they'll let her stay.

After the dwarfs return from work and meet Snow White, she offers to keep the place clean and cook for them, as long as they let her stick around.

The new movie avoids Snow White being relegated to the dwarfs' maid or chef. Upon arrival at the cottage, she falls asleep. When the dwarfs find her, they agree to let her stay with them to be out of harm's way. And during the musical number "Whistle While You Work," everyone gets involved in cleaning up the home.

The king's unexplained disappearance is a big part of the remake. Snow White goes on a journey in search of him, with the help of the bandits, because she believes she can restore the old kingdom.

When the Evil Queen, disguised as the hag, convinces Snow White to bite into the poisoned apple, she calls the old king a fool. At that moment, Snow White realizes that she's the Evil Queen in disguise and that her stepmother murdered her father.

In the animated movie, the other dwarfs make fun of Dopey because he can't talk, or never tried to.

In the 2025 film, a CGI Dopey is also silent and afraid to speak, but Snow White is kind is helps him find his voice. First, she teaches him to whistle, and he ends up being a natural.

Later in the movie, when Snow White awakes from her sleeping death, she says that the kingdom is her destiny and that it's time to step into her role as a leader.

Snow White warns the dwarfs that it'll be difficult because the Evil Queen will try to stop them. Then, to the surprise of everyone, Dopey says, "Let her try" and adds that they're not afraid anymore. At the end of the movie, it's revealed that he's actually the narrator.

There's no fight or standoff between Snow White and the Evil Queen in the original movie because by the time the princess wakes up, her stepmother has already fallen to her death.

But in the remake, Snow White heads to the castle to take back the kingdom. In response, the Evil Queen tells Snow White that if she wants the throne, she has to kill her with a dagger she conjured.

Predictably, Snow White refuses, so the Evil Queen gives the weapon to one of the palace guards and orders him to kill the princess.

Recalling what her mom taught her about making it a point to remember peoples' names, Snow White stops the guard by calling him by his name, Paul. She also reminds him of how he used to be a farmer and share his grove of cherry trees with others. Then, Snow White calls out the names of the other guards, winning them over with her kindness and turning them against the Evil Queen.

Snow White tells the Evil Queen to leave and never come back. But the villain tries to kill Snow White with the dagger. She's intercepted by the crossbow of the bandit named Quigg knocking the dagger out of her hand and turning it to dust.

In the animated "Snow White," the dwarfs chase the Evil Queen (in her hag disguise) up a cliff. While trying to move a boulder toward the dwarfs to knock them over, a lightning bolt strikes the ledge, and the Evil Queen falls to her death, the boulder crashing down with her.

Even though Snow White spares the Evil Queen's life in the remake, she still meets her demise.

After running back to her room in the castle, the Evil Queen rushes to her Magic Mirror, who calls her vain and says that Snow White's beauty comes from deep within. Therefore, she'll always be superior to the Evil Queen. Angry, the Evil Queen smashes the mirror. In shattering the mirror, she also disintegrates into ashes that get pulled through the magic vortex, presumably into some kind of void.

In the aftermath, Snow White becomes the new queen and restores the town to its former glory.

"She embodies the character's gentleness with sincerity, maintaining an awareness of why each act of kindness matters, and where it will take the story." — Siddhant Adlakha, IGN

"Zegler has all the qualities of a great star. She sings with her jaw jutting out like she's daring someone to throw a punch, and she has the ability to turn on an extra light behind her eyes when Snow White is desperate for a favor." — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times

"In truth, Zegler proves to be the one who almost saves this remake, fully convincing as the innocent princess who believes the best in everyone." — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

"Easily shifting gears between the pure-hearted role model of fable and a girl with a bit of personality, she navigates Erin Cressida Wilson's unsteady script more surely than any of those around her." — Jacob Oller, The AV Club

"The 'West Side Story' star has walked right out of the classic cartoon, with a pitch-perfect singing voice, spot-on physicality, and a theatrical, emotional performance that resonates." — William Bibbiani, TheWrap

"Ultimately, though, this villain falls flat because she's underwritten and Gadot can't quite push her into full camp status without the writing to back her up." — Rachel Labonte, Screen Rant

"Gadot is certainly giving it her all, but she doesn't have the sort of grandiose, imposing nature that makes the Evil Queen such a domineering villain. Also, Wilson's script doesn't really do her any favors, only slightly expanding on the few details we already knew about her." — Ross Bonaime, Collider

"Gadot makes her feel like an imposing, gleefully sinister figure, even if her singing and dialogue never measure up to the character's operatic sensibilities." — Siddhant Adlakha, IGN

"The movie does not give her a lot to work with beyond the impressive costumes and special effects." — Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com

"It is Snow White who initially rescues him, when he is caught stealing food from the castle, a good start to a developing relationship of mutual support." — Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com

"It's Jonathan who challenges Snow White to become politically active and actually to put an end to the Evil Queen's tyranny." — William Bibbiani, TheWrap

"Yes, Snow White still runs off with a guy who smooches her corpse. But now she gets to know him before she passes out — and once conscious, she assertively kisses him again." — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times

"Although the talented voice cast gives the characters humor and distinctive personalities, their CGI renderings are, well, a bit creepy, and less photorealistic than many of the cute woodland creatures that flock around Snow White." — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

"Created via motion-capture performances, puppets and voice acting, these haphazard CGI troll wannabes seem supremely out of place in a movie full of humans and one chatty mirror." — Brian Truitt, USA Today

"The dwarfs are CGI creations and never escape the uncanny valley issue; Dopey, in particular, is nightmare fuel due to the decision to make him the most child-like. It's a baffling decision for a supposed live-action remake, and one that just doesn't work." — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

"From their wrinkled skin to their Shenandoah beards, the Doc-led group of fantasy miners are upsetting to behold. They were ostensibly created with VFX to sidestep the issue of whether or not to cast actors with dwarfism in these roles." — Jacob Oller, The AV Club

"As a musical, 'Snow White' is a bit of a mixed bag. Naturally, the best songs here are updates of songs we already know, such as 'Heigh-Ho,' 'Whistle While You Work,' and 'The Silly Song,' often with additional lyrics that mostly work and don't take away from these beloved songs." — Ross Bonaime, Collider

"In between some classic songs ('Heigh-Ho' and 'Whistle While You Work' remain charming), new jams from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul offer a little punch-up, from Snow White's 'I want' song 'Waiting on a Wish' (fine, does its job) to Evil Queen's hilariously evil anthem ('All Is Fair'), all the way up to the standout 'Princess Problems,' which is clever and self-effacing in ways that these live-action remakes can tend to miss." — Kate Erbland, IndieWire

"The one musical addition that really works, perhaps unsurprisingly, is when Zegler is given a modern musical 'I Want' song, 'Waiting on a Wish.' Still, another that might earn points for its audacity is 'All Is Fair,' Gal Gadot's big number that reveals a much autotuned singing voice." — David Crow, Den of Geek

"Zegler is an absolute highlight, and fans of hers will be thrilled at the performance she gives here. But for those exhausted by Disney's CGI-heavy remakes, I'm not sure that there's enough of a spark here to win them over." — Rachel Labonte, Screen Rant

"It's more frolicsome and less lead-footed than most of the Disney cartoon remakes, with just enough of a love story to get by." — Owen Glieberman, Variety

"It doesn't always fit seamlessly together, but it's far more entertaining than that might lead on. This is a spirited and sweet spin on classic material that deserves kudos for its balance of necessary updates and affection for the old ways." — Kate Erbland, IndieWire

"It's not a disaster like the worst live-action Disney remakes — think 'Pinocchio' or the soulless 'The Lion King' redo. But it doesn't stand alongside the handful worth actually seeing — 'Cruella,' 'The Jungle Book,' maybe 'Cinderella.'" — David Crow, Den of Geek

"This 'Snow White' may not be the worst live-action adaptation of an animated touchstone, though it's a strong contender for its blandest." — David Fear, Rolling Stone

"Not only does the new 'Snow White' avoid being the poison apple of Disney live-action redos, it actually manages to put some extra musical mojo on a ubiquitous fairy tale." — Brian Truitt, USA Today

"'Snow White' doesn't quite crack the top-tier, with 'Cinderella' and 'Pete's Dragon' and the 1994 version of 'The Jungle Book.' But it lands solidly in the upper end of the spectrum, alongside movies like 'Mulan,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' and 'Cruella.'" — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter