Rachel Zegler’s co-star defends the controversial actor in light of intense online scrutiny. The actress rose from relative obscurity when she made her film debut asMaria in Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Storyand earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. From there, she expanded her career with several franchise films, playing Anthea in DC’sShazam! Fury of the Gods.
She went on to play Lucy Gray Baird inThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakesand the eponymous princess inDisney’s live-actionSnow Whiteremake, the latter of which caused much controversy leading up to its release, largely due to Zegler’s public comments. Now, she stars in a West End production of the musicalEvitaas Argentine political leader Eva Perón.
During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Rachel Zegler’sEvitaco-star James Olivas defended the controversial actorin light of intense online scrutiny, comparing her polarized reception to Eva Perón’s, dismissing the controversy as baseless, blaming the media for dogpiling, and calling her an unfairly targeted woman of color.
Olivas also addressed the controversial scene inEvitain which Zegler leaves the stage and steps out onto a balcony to sing a show-stopping number for audiences gathered on the streets below. Olivas says Zegler has been unfairly blamed for creative decisions, both inEvitaandSnow White, stressing that she’s just an actor following direction, not the one making these choices.
Continuing, Olivas describes the criticism as “such manufactured outrage,” and says that actual audiences adore the balcony scene, and that the backlash isn’t based in reality. Read his full comments below:
I think Rachel became very notorious prior to the show. In very similar ways to Eva Perón, she was loved and hated. Prior to coming to London, my understanding of her was that she was being dogpiled on a little bit by the media… I did some actual research, like, “What is this scandal? What are the big controversies?” and found that there’s nothing of merit. It’s people just choosing to be angry at her because she is a woman of color, and she is young, an easy target.
Even in her press run for Snow White, [people were] saying, “Rachel Zegler hates traditional Snow White, so she changed it, and she doesn’t want a prince!” I think it speaks to people’s ignorance… Do you think that she’s the writer? Do you think she’s the director? She’s an actor, she was given lines, she was given a job. And same thing in this production. [They say], “How could Rachel Zegler do this to paying customers?”
It was this game of telephone that was never rooted in truth — there’s not been a single person that has come to see the show that has anything less than loved what that moment is in the theater and how it reads outside… How people feel about her, ultimately, is extremely empowering to a lot of people. The case of this woman not coming from means, and through sheer determination and willpower was able to climb her way to becoming what she was at the time: the most famous woman in the world.
What This Means For Rachel Zegler
Leading up toSnow White’s release, the film sparked considerable controversy due to its color-blind casting, alterations to the original storyline, and theupdated portrayal of the Seven Dwarfs. Further backlash arose from Zegler’s public criticism of the original animated movie and President Donald Trump, along with differing opinions between her and co-star Gadot on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, prompting boycott calls from both ends of the political spectrum.
Olivas is Zegler’s latest co-star to come to her defense, arguing that the backlash lacks any real substance. He suggests that the outrage stems less from genuine controversy and more from bias, calling her an “easy target” due to her youth and identity as a woman of color, rather than any meaningful wrongdoing on her part.
Our Take On The Rachel Zegler Controversy
WhileRachel Zegler’s outspokenness has undoubtedly fueled debate, the scale and intensity of the backlash she’s received often feels disproportionate to her actual actions. Criticizing outdated tropes or voicing political opinions, however divisive, should not render a young actor a lightning rod for vitriol. In a polarized culture, she’s navigating fame and conviction in real time, not without missteps, but certainly not without principle.
