Years after she faced backlash for branding the original Snow White movie ‘weird’ and ‘sexist,’ Rachel Zegler is changing her tune.

The 23-year-old actress takes on the lead role in Disney’s modern live-action version of the beloved 1937 animated movie. The film is set to premiere in cinemas on Friday, March 21.

And while appearing on Thursday’s episode of Good Morning America, Zegler took fans by surprise by gushing about how ‘honored’ she was to play the iconic princess.

Zegler — who attended a screening of the film later in the day — also claimed to be a ‘huge Disney fan’ despite her past criticisms.

‘It was the honor of a lifetime. I think every young person dreams about a phone call like that,’ Zegler said of getting cast by Disney in 2021. ‘This one is certainly extra special as a huge Disney fan.

‘To get to bring her to life in such a unique way and such a special way, it’s just a beautiful opportunity, and I’m very honored.’ 

Zegler’s remarks come amid ‘awful’ reviews for the controversial $270million reboot and a ‘scaled-back’ press tour that fueled rumors of a feud between her and co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen.

Years after she faced backlash for branding the original Snow White movie ‘weird’ and ‘sexist,’ Rachel Zegler is changing her tune; pictured Thursday

The actress, 23, stars as the titular character in Disney’s ‘ woke ‘ live-action remake of the classic 1937 animated film, which hits theaters on March 21

Elsewhere in Thursday’s interview, Zegler spoke about the film’s ‘modern’ twist, which has been heavily criticized as ‘woke’ due to tweaks made to the ‘sexist’ romance plot and the replacement of dwarf actors with CGI.

Zegler’s personal politics, such as her pro-Palestine stance and public condemnation of President Donald Trump, have also added to the backlash.

‘It’s all about bridging a classic to a modern age to bring it to these beautiful young people,’ Zegler told viewers.

‘[Snow White’s] superpower remains her heart, you know, that’s always been the core of this story.

‘That’s always been the core of the Disney Company.’ 

She also insisted that the upcoming live-action film is for both children and the ‘inner child in all of us.’

Zegler first criticized David Hand’s 1937 original animated Snow White in 2022 during an interview with Extra TV at that year’s D23 Expo.

She called the film ‘extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power.’ She also admitted she has only seen it once.

And while appearing on Thursday’s episode of Good Morning America , Zegler took fans by surprise by gushing about how ‘honored’ she was to play the iconic princess

‘It was the honor of a lifetime. I think every young person dreams about a phone call like that,’ Zegler said of getting cast by Disney in 2021. ‘This one is certainly extra special as a huge Disney fan’

‘The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. So we didn’t do that this time,’ Zegler told the interviewer.

‘We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie.’

The ‘guy’ she is referring to, Andrew Burnap, plays a man named Jonathan.

‘All of Andrew’s scenes could get cut, who knows? It’s Hollywood, baby!’ Zegler joked.

Zegler also previously revealed she refused to sing the beloved song Some Day My Prince Will Come from the 1937 classic.

‘We didn’t do that this time. I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again,’ Zegler told Variety in 2022.

Zegler said her character is ‘not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be,’ when she spoke at the Disney expo last year.

‘She’s dreaming about becoming the leader that her late father told her she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true,’ she later gushed to Variety as her co-star Gadot smiled beside her.

Zegler spoke about the film’s ‘modern’ twist, which has been heavily criticized as ‘woke’ due to tweaks made to the ‘sexist’ romance plot and the replacement of dwarf actors with CGI

‘It’s all about bridging a classic to a modern age to bring it to these beautiful young people,’ Zegler told viewers

‘[Snow White’s] superpower remains her heart, you know, that’s always been the core of this story,’ she said

She also insisted that the upcoming live-action film is for both children and the ‘inner child in all of us’

Later in the day, Zegler attended a special screening of Snow White at The Whitby Hotel

She met many young fans dressed as the Disney princess

For the event, Zegler rocked a glitzy blue outfit

She carried a small purse shaped like a gold apple

Before arriving to the NYC screening, Zegler was spotted leaving her hotel in a black leather jacket

Meanwhile, a feud is also rumored to be ongoing between the West Side Story actress and Gadot.

Sources have claimed the pair have ‘nothing in common’, citing their age gap – Zegler is 23 and Gadot is 39 – and differing political views.

The Wonder Woman star was also absent from the film’s secret Spanish premiere last week.

According to PEOPLE, ‘Gal is a mother of four, while Rachel is in a completely different stage of life.

‘On top of that, their political views differ, adding to the tension’.

Israeli-born Gadot, who served in the IDF, has publicly supported the release of Israeli hostages while Zegler has used her platform to voice support for Palestine amid the conflict in Gaza.

This divide has reportedly further fueled their feud.

After a series of PR nightmares, Disney scaled back the Snow White premieres to host a ‘handful’ of tightly controlled events.

Meanwhile, a feud is also rumored to be ongoing between the West Side Story actress and her Snow White co-star Gal Gadot

Sources have claimed the pair have ‘nothing in common’, citing their age gap – Zegler is 23 and Gadot is 39 – and differing political views; the co-stars seen Saturday at the LA premiere of Snow White

This was the case last Saturday, with only a select number of photographers invited to the LA premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

And the only interviewers the cast faced were employed by Disney, such as Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the studio’s 1989 animation The Little Mermaid.

Zegler and Gadot arrived separately and only posed for a small number of photos together along with other members of the film’s cast and crew. 

At the screening Zegler, who starred in the 2021 remake of West Side Story, briefly addressed the backlash around the film, which has been branded ‘woke’ for adapting the original storyline of Disney’s first feature-length movie, released in 1937.