The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey called Rachel Zegler the “perfect princess” following online hate over the 22-year-old’s role as Snow White in the upcoming Disney live-action remake.
Halle Bailey is showing her support for a fellow Disney princess.
After Rachel Zegler, who is set to play Snow White in the upcoming live-action remake, spoke out on social media about the backlash she’s faced since her casting, the Little Mermaid star made it clear she’s thrilled to have her as part of the Disney world.
“We love you so much, truly the perfect princess,” Halle—who experienced similar criticism following her casting as Ariel—wrote to Rachel on Twitter July 15, to which the West Side Story star replied, “my sweetest girl, i love you always.”
Halle’s support came after Rachel expressed not wanting to see online hate over her Snow White casting.
“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,” Rachel tweeted July 15 alongside throwback photos of herself dressed in princess costumes, “i really, truly do not want to see it. so i leave you w these photos! i hope every child knows they can be a princess no matter what.”
The 22-year-old has previously opened up about the backlash she received after her casting, while reflecting on what it means to her to take on the iconic role.
“Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me,” Rachel explained to Andrew Garfield during Variety‘s Actors on Actors in January 2022. “You don’t normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries. Blanca Nieves is a huge icon whether you’re talking about the Disney cartoon or just different iterations and the Grimm fairy tale and all the stories that come with it.”
She added, “But you don’t particularly see people who look like me or are me playing roles like that. When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry.”
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And when the West Side Story alum was first confirmed to be taking on the titular role in June 2021, Snow White director Marc Webb heaped endless praise her way.
“Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts,” he told Deadline at the time. “Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale.”
As for Rachel, she celebrated the news by resharing a 2017 post of hers, in which she was dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid on stage, writing, “I wanna be a real Disney princess.”
