Rachel Zegler sought psychiatric help and used anxiety medication after criticism of her starring role in Snow White. “I just wasn’t functioning,” the 24-year-old actress tells i-D.
The live-action version of the Disney classic, released this year, received considerable criticism even before its release. The film was said to look ugly and deviate too much from the original. Some found Zegler unsuitable for the lead role because of her Colombian and Polish background, while Snow White is white in the original animated film.
In addition, Zegler repeatedly criticized the original Snow White from 1937, which she said was old-fashioned and full of misogyny. Later, the actress came under fire again, this time for political statements on social media. For example, she criticized US President Donald Trump and regularly shared pro-Palestinian messages.
“My psychiatrist pulled me through it,” Zegler says of the criticism. “I needed someone who could say, ‘What you’re going through is not normal.'” The actress also received medication for her anxious feelings. “That was really a game changer, because I just wasn’t functioning.”
Yet Zegler doesn’t want to wallow in a victim mentality. “I think a victim mentality is a choice,” she says. “I don’t choose negativity. I choose positivity, light and happiness. Every day I wake up and think: I am incredibly lucky to be able to live the life I lead.”