‘Woke' Snow White star tells children they can be ‘powerful princesses'
The star of Disney's 'woke' Snow White remake is to appear on a BBC programme where she will tell children they can be 'powerful princesses'.
Rachel Zegler, who plays the titular character in a new version of the 1937 film, will take part in an episode of CBeebies Bedtime Story this Friday to read from Holly Ryan's Never Mess With A Pirate Princess.
The book tells the story of a princess who goes on an adventure to rescue her teddy bear after it is stolen by pirates.
At the end of her reading, the 23-year-old actress will tell viewers: 'You don't need a king or a queen as parents, or a beautiful white horse, or even a fancy castle to live in.
'To be a powerful princess you just need to be wonderful, brilliant you.'
It comes after the Snow White remake made a disappointing $43 million (£33 million) in ticket sales after opening in cinemas, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
The run-up to the film's release was plagued by controversies, including a backlash over comments made by Zegler and the film's representation of the story's dwarves. The release was also affected by production delays, which drove up costs.
The PR headaches ultimately prompted Disney to scale back the film's premiere in Los Angeles, with no external media invited to the event.
Zegler previously angered fans by calling Prince Charming a 'stalker' and for saying the remake 'needed' to be politically correct.
Her outspoken support for Palestine is also said to have caused a severe rift with Gal Gadot, her Israeli co-star, who served with the Israel Defence Forces for two years.
At one point, Disney bosses attempted to rein in Zegler's most incendiary comments, according to The New York Times.
Zegler's criticisms of the 1937 animated film prompted the son of the maker of the original to accuse her of trying to justify the beloved fairy tale becoming a 'woke' story.
Following its release, the film, directed by Marc Webb, has been largely panned by critics.
Rotten Tomatoes, a website which collates reviews by professional critics, estimates that only 44 per cent of reviews had been positive.
Zegler's appearance on CBeebies Bedtime Story comes ahead of an episode due to be broadcast on Sunday featuring Charithra Chandran, the Bridgerton actress, to celebrate Mother's Day.
She will read a story about parental support titled You're Strong With Me, by Chitra Soundar, which tells the story of a mother giraffe and her young calf who explore the African savanna.
Other famous faces to have read stories on the popular programme include the Princess of Wales, Olivia Colman, Tom Hardy, Kate Winslet and Jack Black, as well as singers Billie Eilish, Harry Styles and Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus.
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