Rachel Zegler, Halle Bailey Talk About Roles In ‘Snow White’ And ‘The Little Mermaid’

The upcoming live-action Disney reboots, Snow White (2024) and The Little Mermaid (2023) feature Rachel Zegler and Halle Bailey, respectively. The stars talk about the “modern” diverse versions of the iconic animated princess, which will not follow the age-old “true love” storylines.

During Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA, Zegler, alongside Gal Gadot, reveals, “In 1937, the cartoon [Snow White and the Seven Dwarves] was so focused on her finding true love, and it’s not even in her mind at all in this film.”

Zegler and Bailey hint to fans about the expected changes

Zegler continues, “She’s so focused in becoming the leader that her father tells her that she can be. And she’s really trying to find the courage to stand up to the Evil Queen [Gadot] and how to find her own agency and rule a kingdom. And she meets so many incredible people along the way. And maybe she finds love. Maybe she finds friendship. But what’s really important is that she finds her own voice.”

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Also, Bailey weighed in on the topic of discussion. “We keep a lot of the meat of the film that made us all fall in love with this film,” says Bailey. “It’s really her, and her gumption. And just excitement for the life above [her] world. So it’s amazing, but it’s also updated with the current times.

“I think she really just goes for what she wants. She’s not scared,” Bailey said. “And it’s not all about a boy. It’s all about what she wants for herself, and her life.”

Disney changes course

These moves seem like the full plan from Disney to break stereotypes and resonate more with the younger generation; the entertainment company tried it in the Shang Chi and Captain Marvel movies by steering away from the typical romantic subplots in their movies.

Even Wonder Woman‘s Gal Gadot deviates from her norm of saving the world by being the bad guy in the upcoming Snow White. She talked about her role at the D23 Expo event. “It was different than anything I’ve ever done before,” she revealed. “I went bigger, more theatrical. I acted with my body, with tone of voice, with everything. I sang, I danced, it was great.”