Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot Dazzle in Snow White Premiere—But There's a Catch

Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot turned the red carpet into a fairytale runway at Snow White's Los Angeles premiere.

The two costars attended the event held at El Capitan Theatre on Saturday, March 15, for the film directed by Marc Webb. Zegler, 23, stars as the titular Snow White, and Gadot, 39, portrays the Evil Queen.

In celebration of the movie musical's release, the actresses wore looks that channeled their iconic characters.

Zegler was pretty in pink in a pale rose-colored strapless gown featuring a corseted bodice decorated with butterfly appliqués and a voluminous, floor-length skirt. She styled her hair in an elegant updo and accessorized with diamond necklace.

Gadot, meanwhile, opted for a sheer black lace dress detailed with a ruffled miniskirt overtop a longer floor-length skirt. She wore her hair down in a sleek, middle-part style and topped off her look with a jeweled statement necklace with a tassel.

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The L.A. premiere follows in the footsteps of the Europe premiere, which saw Zegler perform "Waiting on a Wish," one of the film's original songs, for fans at a castle in Segovia, Spain. The string of low-key promo events ahead of the film's release is a result of efforts to steer away from the backlash associated with Snow White that has followed since it was announced in September 2022.

Zegler in particular has garnered criticism for both her casting and her viewpoints on the original 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

When she was announced as Snow White, Zegler dealt with racist backlash over her stepping into the shoes of the Disney Princess while being of Latinx background (Zegler is of Colombian and Polish descent.)

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She later said in a 2024 interview with Variety that Snow White's name has a different origin story in the new film than the original animated Disney movie, which, along with the 19th century Grimms fairy tale, describes the character as having "skin as white as snow." The 2025 interpretation instead points to the character having survived a snowstorm as a baby and her name being a nod to her "resilience."

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The actress has also been outspoken about her critique of the animation, including her thoughts on its "dated" narrative.

In a recent interview with Vogue Mexico, the actress addressed the flak, saying, “I interpret people’s feelings about this film as their passion for [the Snow White character] and what an honor to be a part of something that people are so passionate about."

Outside of the cast, Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage has called out the "hypocrisy" of the movie, citing the fairy tale's "backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together."

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"Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback — they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White," he said. "But you're still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me."

Disney addressed Dinklage's criticisms in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. A spokesperson told the outlet, "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."

David Hand, 93 and the son of one of the co-directors of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, has also spoken out about the lack of "respect" shown in the remake. "It's a whole different concept, and I just totally disagree with it," he told The Telegraph, per Entertainment Weekly.

Snow White is in theaters March 21.

Rachel Zegler's Tearful Speech: Love for 'Everybody' Amid Snow White Drama

Rachel Zegler is showing gratitude for her Snow White role.

Ahead of a recent early screening of the live-action Snow White remake, Zegler surprised fans when she appeared and gave an emotional speech about what playing the Disney princess has meant to her.

"This is a movie that is so close to my heart. I auditioned for this movie when I was 19 years old and I am about to turn 24," Zegler said, in video shared by Disney. "So it's a really big chunk of my life, and about five of the seven years of my career, which is crazy. I love everybody in this movie so dearly."

Zegler reflected on her journey playing the titular character, who first appeared in 1937's animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, sharing that seeing the movie come to life has been "emotional" for her.

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"Coming to the end of this road of this release feels really crazy because when you spend so much time with something, it becomes such a big part of you and a big part of your heart. Snow White has really been that way for me and to see this is really emotional for me. So I'm going to try not do that," Zegler said, her voice cracking a little.

"I love her and I am so glad to see that so many of you love her as well," Zegler continued. "Her superpower is her heart. It's nothing supernatural. It's something that all of us have. Deep within us, there is an inherit good and belief in the kindness of humanity."

"I hope that you walk away from this film understanding what the true meaning of fair is. I really hope that for the world as well. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your Snow White. It means the world to me."

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Zegler's speech comes amid tensions plaguing Disney’s live-action remake ahead of its March 21 release, which has extended to both the West Side Story actress and her costar Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen.

A source told PEOPLE that Gadot and Zegler have "nothing in common" due to their age difference and “on top of that, their political views differ, adding to the tension."

Zegler and Gadot have appeared at multiple events in the past to promote their long-delayed film, including at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2022 and at the recent Academy Awards, where they presented the Best Visual Effects category together. They posed together at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Saturday, March 15.

After her casting announcement in 2021, Zegler faced racist backlash from social media users over her being of Latinx background and playing the Disney princess. (Zegler is of Colombian and Polish descent.) Zegler also made headlines when she said in interviews that the new movie would modernize Snow White and that the original was “dated.”

While speaking with Vogue Mexico, Zegler addressed negative reactions over her casting as well as past statements she's made about the original animation, saying audiences were being protective over the famous princess.

“I interpret people’s feelings about this film as their passion for her and what an honor to be a part of something that people are so passionate about,” Zegler said. “We are not always going to have the same feelings as everyone around us and all that we can do is do our best." (Zegler's interview was conducted in Spanish. Quotes were independently translated from Spanish to English by PEOPLE.)

Snow White is in theaters March 21.