(NewsNation) — Rachel Zegler’s “Evita” co-star has come to her defense following backlash she faced for the poor box office performance of the live-action “Snow White.”
Actor James Olivas, who plays Argentine President Juan Perón in the West End show, spoke to the Hollywood Reporter and said media scrutiny played a factor in what he called “manufactured outrage.”
“I think Rachel became very notorious prior to the show,” Olivas said. “In very similar ways to Eva Perón, she was loved and hated. Prior to coming to London, my understanding of her was that she was being dogpiled on a little bit by the media.”
Zegler was embroiled in criticisms of the Disney movie, even before its release, as critics called out casting decisions and the portrayal of the seven dwarfs, according to ScreenRant.
In 2022, Zegler told “Extra” the original, animated version of “Snow White” was “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman’s fit for in the world… 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.”
The actress has been outspoken on the ongoing conflict in Gaza and has voiced her support for Palestinians.
Following the release of the “Snow White” trailer, Zegler posted online, “And always remember, free Palestine.”
Rachel Zegler blamed for ‘Snow White’ box office performance
Disney reportedly was concerned the actress would derail its $270 million film, according to Variety.
Marc Platt, a producer of the film, flew to New York in August 2024 to speak to Zegler about removing the post, Variety reported, but she refused.
In March, Jonah Platt, Marc Platt’s son, wrote in a now-deleted Instagram comment about his father’s reported visit, calling Zegler a narcissist who inserted “her personal politics into the middle of promoting a movie.”
“Snow White” was released in May and grossed $205.6 million worldwide.
Rachel Zegler sought out mental health help
Zegler said the backlash was so intense that she needed to see a psychiatrist.
“My f—— psychiatrist has seen me through all of it,” she told i-D magazine.
Her psychiatrist prescribed anxiety medicine, which she said 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.”
Zegler, who plays Argentine political leader Eva Perón in “Evita,” has also been criticized for a part of the show involving her balcony scene.
Olivas told the Hollywood Reporter that Zegler is an actor who has no control over the production of the show or “Snow White.”
“I think it speaks to people’s ignorance,” he said. “Do you think that she’s the writer? Do you think she’s the director? She’s an actor, she was given lines, she was given a job.”
NewsNation’s Taylor Delandro and Sierra Campbell contributed to this report.