'Snow White' star shares that Ariana Grande offered support during difficult casting backlash

'Snow White' Rachel Zegler shares that Ariana Grande offered support during difficult casting backlash

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Mar 18, 2025 6:26 PM ET

While promoting Disney’s Snow White, star Rachel Zegler spoke with Allure and revealed the women in Hollywood who have been showing her support.

"Jameela Jamil is like a big sister to me," she shared. "I love that she has no regrets about being outspoken, about being strong-willed and strong-minded." The actress also mentioned her Shazam! Fury of the Gods costars Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, commenting that they "have been my keepers in all of this, where I feel very held by them."

However, there's someone else who reached out to Zegler: Ariana Grande, who most recently starred as Glinda in Wicked. "She reached out to me—kind of apropos of nothing—and was like, 'If you need anything, I am here.' She is so deeply kind. She has gone through so much in the public eye, and I have always really, really admired her courage in the face of all of that," she expressed.

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Zegler takes on the title role in the new live-action musical, which is a reimagining of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The rest of the cast includes Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess, Martin Klebba, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Jeremy Swift, and Andrew Grotelueschen.

"All I’m ever really looking for in this business is a sister and they’re not always easy to find. We’re often told that other women have to be your competition and I don’t subscribe to that."

While many young Latinas will be extremely grateful to see someone who looks like them as the beloved princess, the actress received harsh and unnecessary backlash simply because she's of Colombian heritage.

"I really do believe in championing your friends and championing your coworkers, whether you're close with them or not. So the second that there's any intimidation or competition, just put on ‘Girl, so confusing’ by Charli XCX and talk it out. I’ve come to know that in the last couple of years, in search of female friendship in the industry, there is room for all of us no matter what anybody else will have you think."

Snow White opens in theaters on March 21.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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