Rachel Zegler reveals psychiatrist, anxiety meds helped her deal with ‘Snow White' backlash
Even Snow White needs a shrink.
Rachel Zegler has revealed that therapy and anxiety medication helped her overcome the monumental backlash she received while starring in Disney's live-action 'Snow White' remake.
The 24-year-old actress opened up about the controversy and how she moved past it in an interview with i-D magazine published on Monday, June 23.
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7 Rachel Zegler has revealed that therapy and anxiety medication helped her overcome the backlash she received while starring in 'Snow White.'
GC Images
7 The 24-year-old actress opened up about the controversy and how she moved past it in an interview with i-D magazine published on Monday.
Walt Disney Co.
'My f–king psychiatrist has seen me through all of it,' Zegler explained, noting that her medical doctor constantly reminded her that 'what you're going through isn't normal.'
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'That sentence did such wonders for me in multiple situations in my life,' she said.
The 'Y2K' actress also revealed that she started taking anxiety medication.
7 'My f–king psychiatrist has seen me through all of it,' she said.
Getty Images for Disney
Zegler said the decision was 'truly a game changer' because 'I just wasn't functioning' and 'I wanted to function in a way that made me feel confident in the way I was moving through the world.'
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Besides her psychiatrist and anxiety meds, the 'West Side Story' star also cited her 'mindset' as one of the things that helped her overcome the backlash she received.
'I think a victim mindset is a choice, and I don't choose it,' she explained. 'I also don't choose nastiness in the face of it. I don't choose negativity in the face of it.'
7 Zegler said her decision to take anxiety medication was 'truly a game changer' because 'I just wasn't functioning' amid the backlash.
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
'I choose positivity and light and happiness,' Zegler continued. '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.'
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It was first announced that Zegler had been cast as the titular Disney princess in the live-action 'Snow White' remake in 2022.
The young actress, who has Colombian and Polish roots, faced backlash from fans after the casting announcement.
7 Zegler faced backlash from the time she was cast as Snow White in 2021 to the movie's release earlier this year.
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
She faced further backlash later that year when she described the original 1937 movie as 'dated' and claimed that Prince Charming 'literally stalks' Snow White.
In 2024, Zegler was forced to apologize after she wrote an anti-Donald Trump post on social media. Angry Disney fans threatened to boycott 'Snow White' if the actress was not replaced.
'I let my emotions get the best of me,' Zegler wrote on Instagram after that backlash. 'Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse.'
7 Zegler and her 'Snow White' co-star, Gal Gadot, allegedly butted heads during filming.
FilmMagic
Zegler and her 'Snow White' co-star, Gal Gadot, also allegedly butted heads over their differences regarding the Israel-Palestine war in Gaza.
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Although the live-action 'Snow White' remake finally hit theaters in March 2025, it received poor reviews and bombed at the box office.
Despite the film's poor performance, Zegler took to Instagram after its weekend premiere to celebrate it being '#1 movie in the world.'
7 More recently, Zelger faced backlash for performing a scene from the musical 'Evita' outside on a balcony while paying fans sat inside and watched it via livestream.Now, with 'Snow White' and all its drama in the rearview mirror, Zegler is looking to the future for new opportunities.
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She is currently starring as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd's revival of the 1978 musical 'Evita' in London's West End – but not even her performance in that project is without its problems.
Last week, Zegler faced scrutiny for performing the musical's most popular number outside on a balcony as paying fans sat inside the London Palladium and were forced to watch the iconic scene via livestream.
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Even Snow White needs a shrink. Rachel Zegler has revealed that therapy and anxiety medication helped her overcome the monumental backlash she received while starring in Disney's live-action 'Snow White' remake. The 24-year-old actress opened up about the controversy and how she moved past it in an interview with i-D magazine published on Monday, June 23. Advertisement 7 Rachel Zegler has revealed that therapy and anxiety medication helped her overcome the backlash she received while starring in 'Snow White.' GC Images 7 The 24-year-old actress opened up about the controversy and how she moved past it in an interview with i-D magazine published on Monday. Walt Disney Co. 'My f–king psychiatrist has seen me through all of it,' Zegler explained, noting that her medical doctor constantly reminded her that 'what you're going through isn't normal.' Advertisement 'That sentence did such wonders for me in multiple situations in my life,' she said. The 'Y2K' actress also revealed that she started taking anxiety medication. 7 'My f–king psychiatrist has seen me through all of it,' she said. Getty Images for Disney Zegler said the decision was 'truly a game changer' because 'I just wasn't functioning' and 'I wanted to function in a way that made me feel confident in the way I was moving through the world.' Advertisement Besides her psychiatrist and anxiety meds, the 'West Side Story' star also cited her 'mindset' as one of the things that helped her overcome the backlash she received. 'I think a victim mindset is a choice, and I don't choose it,' she explained. 'I also don't choose nastiness in the face of it. I don't choose negativity in the face of it.' 7 Zegler said her decision to take anxiety medication was 'truly a game changer' because 'I just wasn't functioning' amid the backlash. ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection 'I choose positivity and light and happiness,' Zegler continued. '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.' Advertisement It was first announced that Zegler had been cast as the titular Disney princess in the live-action 'Snow White' remake in 2022. The young actress, who has Colombian and Polish roots, faced backlash from fans after the casting announcement. 7 Zegler faced backlash from the time she was cast as Snow White in 2021 to the movie's release earlier this year. ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection She faced further backlash later that year when she described the original 1937 movie as 'dated' and claimed that Prince Charming 'literally stalks' Snow White. In 2024, Zegler was forced to apologize after she wrote an anti-Donald Trump post on social media. Angry Disney fans threatened to boycott 'Snow White' if the actress was not replaced. 'I let my emotions get the best of me,' Zegler wrote on Instagram after that backlash. 'Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse.' 7 Zegler and her 'Snow White' co-star, Gal Gadot, allegedly butted heads during filming. FilmMagic Zegler and her 'Snow White' co-star, Gal Gadot, also allegedly butted heads over their differences regarding the Israel-Palestine war in Gaza. Advertisement Although the live-action 'Snow White' remake finally hit theaters in March 2025, it received poor reviews and bombed at the box office. Despite the film's poor performance, Zegler took to Instagram after its weekend premiere to celebrate it being '#1 movie in the world.' 7 More recently, Zelger faced backlash for performing a scene from the musical 'Evita' outside on a balcony while paying fans sat inside and watched it via with 'Snow White' and all its drama in the rearview mirror, Zegler is looking to the future for new opportunities. Advertisement She is currently starring as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd's revival of the 1978 musical 'Evita' in London's West End – but not even her performance in that project is without its problems. Last week, Zegler faced scrutiny for performing the musical's most popular number outside on a balcony as paying fans sat inside the London Palladium and were forced to watch the iconic scene via livestream.
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