Rachel Zegler has been announced as the star of Disney’s Snow White remake—here's where you've seen her before

20-year-old Rachel Zegler is set to take up the titular role in the upcoming Snow White remake

snow white remake star rachel zegler
(Image credit: Getty)

Meet Rachel Zegler, star of Disney's live-action Snow White remake. 

Who doesn't love a fairytale? Forever keeping up with real-life princesses like Meghan Markle and the Duchess of Cambridge, we're no strangers to a royal romance here at woman&homeeven if it's just the make-believe kind. 

So safe to say we were more than a little excited to find out that Disney has cast its newest princess after months of speculation. Yep, in a week that saw news of a Thelma and Louise stage musical, Disney just about stole the show with the unveiling of their new Snow White star. 

According to Deadline, West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler will be stepping into the shoes of the "fairest of them all" in the upcoming live-action remake of the 1937 animation classic. 

Sources told the outlet that the 20-year-old actress was already a frontrunner in the casting process, but it was early footage of Rachel starring as Maria in Steven Spielberg's upcoming West Side Story remake that helped her secure the role.

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"Rachel's extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts," director Marc Webb told the publication. "Her strength, intelligence, and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale."

Rachel, who will be the first Colombian-Polish actress to play a Disney princess, joins a long line of high-profile actresses who have stepped into the role of Snow White on the silver screen—with Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror), Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman) and Sarah Patterson (Snow White) having also taken up the baton. 

Deadline reports that Disney's new Snow White adaption will expand on the original story, and include songs written by La La Land songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The Girl on the Train screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson has also signed on to write the screenplay. 

Where have we seen Rachel Zegler before? 

She's been a musical theatre fan from a young age—taking part in productions of Shrek: The Musical, The Little Mermaid and 42nd Street. 

But it wasn't until she replied to a casting call by Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg, and was subsequently cast as Maria in next year's film adaption of West Side Story, that Zegler shot to overnight fame. 

And it's only set to get busier for the young actor, as she's recently been pipped to star in the DC film Shazam! alongside Helen Mirren, Lucy Lui, and Zachary Levi. 

When will Disney's Snow White remake be released? 

Unfortunately for us, though, we have another while to wait until we can see the new Snow White adaption, as production hasn't even started yet. 

It's thought that Snow White will start shooting next year, though Disney has yet to announce a release date for the film or confirm whether or not it will be released in theatres or on Disney+.

One of the best book-to-movie adaptions of all time, the original Snow White was released in 1937 to incredible success—cementing Disney as one of the all-time animation greats, and winning an Honorary Oscar at the 1939 Academy Awards. 

Snow White is thought to be just one of the many legacy classics that Disney has plans to remake into a live-action film. And we, for one, are very excited about it. 

Kate McCusker


Kate is a freelance contributor to woman&home, covering everything she loves most: fashion, fiction, and fancy face cream. If she’s not working, she’s probably reading, feeding her online shopping addiction, or judging the taste level of celebrity houses (10/10 for Dakota Johnson, 2/10 for Tan France).


She graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2020 with a BA in fashion journalism, and her byline has also appeared in British VogueThe Times, and Marie Claire.