Following a ‘scaled-back’ LA premiere that saw her have a frosty reunion with co-star Gal Gadot, Snow White’s Rachel Zegler promoted the film solo in New York City on Thursday.
The actress, 23 — who plays the iconic Disney princess in the live-action ‘woke’ remake out March 21 — attended a special screening at The Whitby H๏τel.
Instead of a lavish red carpet rollout or elaborate Snow White-themed decor, Zegler and other guests posed for pH๏τos in front of a red rose backdrop in the H๏τel’s lobby.
The casual tone of the event — which is uncharacteristic for Disney — was also reflected in Zegler’s outfit, which consisted of a sequin top, flared trousers and heels.
She greeted young fans, who were dressed in Snow White costumes, ahead of the screening.
The $240million reboot has been plagued by controversy over it’s ‘woke’ reimagining and a brewing ‘feud’ between Zegler and Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen.
Zegler herself has spawned backlash following her public condemnation of President Donald Trump and his supporters following the 2024 election and her past criticism of the animated 1937 film, which she called ‘Sєxist’ and ‘weird’ in a 2022 interview.
Snow White has been slammed as ‘exhaustingly awful’ in early reviews and Disney appears to be bracing for a disastrous opening weekend due to poor box office predictions.
Following a ‘scaled-back’ LA premiere that saw her have a frosty reunion with co-star Gal Gadot, Snow White’s Rachel Zegler promoted the film solo in New York City on Thursday
The actress, 23 — who plays the iconic Disney princess in the live-action ‘ woke ‘ remake out March 21 — attended a special screening at The Whitby H๏τel
Despite the intense drama surrounding the film, Zegler appeared in high spirits during Thursday’s screening.
She accessorized her head-to-toe blue outfit with a small purse shaped like a gold apple – a clear nod to the Poisoned Apple from Disney’s animated Snow White.
Read More Rachel Zegler makes humiliating U-turn on trashing original Snow White movie 
Zegler carried the event as she was the only Snow White star in attendance.
However, the screening wasn’t completely devoid of celebrities.
Supermodel Coco Rocha, 36, turned heads in an elegant black tulle gown as she arrived with her son Iver, six, and her youngest daughter, Iley, four.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue bombshell Carol Alt, 64, was also on hand for the screening.
Zegler’s appearance at the screening came hours after she promoted the film on Good Morning America.
During the sit-down interview, she appeared to change her tune about Snow White after previously slamming the 1937 film’s ‘Sєxist’ and weird’ storyline.
The $240million reboot has been plagued by controversy over it’s ‘woke’ reimagining and a brewing ‘feud’ between Zegler and Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen
Instead of a lavish red carpet rollout or elaborate Snow White-themed decor, Zegler and other guests posed for pH๏τos in front of a red rose backdrop in the H๏τel’s lobby
She greeted young fans, who were dressed in Snow White costumes, ahead of the screening
Zegler spent plenty of time speaking with the kids
Instead of critiquing the Disney classic, Zegler gushed about how ‘honored’ she was to play the iconic princess.
‘It was the honor of a lifetime. I think every young person dreams about a phone call like that,’ Zegler said of getting cast by Disney in 2021.
‘This one is certainly extra special as a huge Disney fan.
‘To get to bring her to life in such a unique way and such a special way, it’s just a beautiful opportunity, and I’m very honored.’
Elsewhere in Thursday’s interview, Zegler spoke about the film’s ‘modern’ twist, which has been heavily criticized as ‘woke’ due to tweaks made to the ‘Sєxist’ romance plot and the replacement of dwarf actors with CGI.
‘It’s all about bridging a classic to a modern age to bring it to these beautiful young people,’ Zegler told viewers.
‘[Snow White’s] superpower remains her heart, you know, that’s always been the core of this story.
‘That’s always been the core of the Disney Company.’
Zegler was first pH๏τographed outside the event venue
She flashed a smile for pH๏τographers and fans
Before the event, Zegler was seen leaving her NYC H๏τel with her entourage
Supermodel Coco Rocha, 36, turned heads in an elegant black tulle gown at as she arrived with her son Iver, six, and her youngest daughter, Iley, four, to the Snow White screening
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue bombshell Carol Alt, 64, was also on hand for the screening
She also insisted that the upcoming live-action film is for both children and the ‘inner child in all of us.’
Zegler first criticized David Hand’s 1937 original animated Snow White in 2022 during an interview with Extra TV at that year’s D23 Expo.
Read More Rachel Zegler hits out at ‘white’ movie execs after being accused of turning Snow White woke 
She called the film ‘extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power.’ She also admitted she has only seen it once.
‘The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. So we didn’t do that this time,’ Zegler told the interviewer.
‘We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will ᴀssume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie.’
The ‘guy’ she is referring to, Andrew Burnap, plays a man named Jonathan.
‘All of Andrew’s scenes could get cut, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!’ Zegler joked.
Zegler also previously revealed she refused to sing the beloved song Some Day My Prince Will Come from the 1937 classic.
Snow White has been slammed as ‘exhaustingly awful’ in early reviews and Disney appears to be bracing for a disastrous opening weekend due to poor box office predictions
Zegler herself has spawned backlash following her past criticism of the original animated 1937 film, which she called ‘Sєxist’ and ‘weird’ in a 2022 interview; seen Thursday
‘We didn’t do that this time. I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again,’ Zegler told Variety in 2022.
Zegler said her character is ‘not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be,’ when she spoke at the Disney expo last year.
Read More Delicious Snow White behind-the-scenes fights and drama revealed 
‘She’s dreaming about becoming the leader that her late father told her she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true,’ she later gushed to Variety as her co-star Gadot smiled beside her.
Meanwhile, a feud is also rumored to be ongoing between the West Side Story actress and Gadot.
Sources have claimed the pair have ‘nothing in common’, citing their age gap – Zegler is 23 and Gadot is 39 – and differing political views.
The Wonder Woman star was also absent from the film’s secret Spanish premiere last week.
According to PEOPLE, ‘Gal is a mother of four, while Rachel is in a completely different stage of life.
‘On top of that, their political views differ, adding to the tension’.
However, Zegler appeared to change her tune on Thursday as she gushed about how ‘honored’ she was to play the iconic princess during an appearance on GMA
Zegler also spoke about the film’s ‘modern’ twist, which has been heavily criticized as ‘woke’ due to tweaks made to the ‘Sєxist’ romance plot and the replacement of dwarf actors with CGI
Meanwhile, a feud is also rumored to be ongoing between Zegler and Gadot. Sources have claimed the pair have ‘nothing in common’, citing their age gap – Zegler is 23 and Gadot is 39 – and differing political views; the co-stars seen at the LA premiere on March 15
Israeli-born Gadot, who served in the IDF, has publicly supported the release of Israeli hostages while Zegler has used her platform to voice support for Palestine amid the conflict in Gaza.
This divide has reportedly further fueled their feud.
After a series of PR nightmares, Disney scaled back the Snow White premieres to host a ‘handful’ of тιԍнтly controlled events.
This was the case last Saturday, with only a select number of pH๏τographers invited to the LA premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
And the only interviewers the cast faced were employed by Disney, such as Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the studio’s 1989 animation The Little Mermaid.
Zegler and Gadot arrived separately and only posed for a small number of pH๏τos together along with other members of the film’s cast and crew.
