Rachel Zegler, like many young women coming up in Hollywood, is unfortunately no stranger to online negativity, though the starlet says she doesn’t let it get to her by reframing her perspective away from a “victim mindset.”
In a new cover story with British mag i-D, Zegler — who is currently starring in the London West End revival of Evita helmed by Jamie Lloyd, to stupendous reviews — discussed how tabloid media and online communities have overly scrutinized her and her behavior in the public eye, whether for being outspoken or simply for being cast in a project.
“It’s interesting,” she said of the opinions people share about her on social media, before adding, “It’s really alarming at times.”
In 2021, as she was cast as the title princess in Snow White, the West Side Story actress (who is of Colombian and Polish descent) faced hatred from right-wing social media users about her Latinx background. She also faced a second wave of intense scrutiny following 2022’s D23 Expo ahead of filming, where she deemed the 1937 original “dated” since Prince Charming “literally stalks” the heroine — a take she’s since amended. After the film failed commercially, she largely bore the brunt of the fallout, despite lukewarm reviews and creative issues behind the scenes.
“I think a victim mindset is a choice, and I don’t choose it,” she said of how she deals with the online exposure. “I also don’t choose nastiness in the face of it. I don’t choose negativity in the face of it. I choose positivity and light and happiness. And I do believe at times, happiness is absolutely a choice, and every day I wake up and I think I’m very lucky to live the life I live.”
Amid the film’s promotion, there was also a flurry of excitement surrounding Zegler’s support for Palestine and Gaza amid what leading human rights organizations deem genocide perpetrated by Israel, which reportedly did not go over well with the film’s producer Marc Platt.
“My compassion has no boundaries, is really what it is, and my support for one cause does not denounce any others. That’s always been at the core of who I am as a person. It’s the way I was raised,” Zegler said.
When asked if she was concerned about potential professional consequences, she responded, “There are obviously things that are at stake by being outspoken, but nothing is worth innocent lives. My heart doesn’t have a fence around it, and if that is considered my downfall? There are worse things.”
