Photo: Variety
Disney defended the idea of a live-action remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarf” following the criticism it received from actor Peter Dinklage.
In June 2021, the entertainment conglomerate revealed that “West Side Story” ’s Rachel Zegler will be cast as the main character in the upcoming remake of the 1937 film. It was the first Disney animated feature that became a major box office hit.
Directed by Marc Webb, widely known for the Spider-Man movies starring Andrew Garfield, the movie stars Gal Gadot as the evil queen. The production would begin in 2022, said Disney earlier.
In an episode of the “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast live last Monday, Dinklage disagreed with the idea of the live-action version.
The “Game of Thrones” star, who possesses an achondroplasia type of dwarfism, stated that he was “taken aback” by the celebration of the entertainment and media behemoth of choosing a Latina lead even as it delved into a tale with problematic dwarf representation.
“Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me,” he remarked, nearly an hour into the 80-minute episode. “You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing, man?”
The Emmy-winning actor emphasized that he meant “literally no offense to anyone” and conveyed “all love and respect to the actress and to the people who thought they were doing the right thing.” However, his vexation was noticeable.
“Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox?” he further stated. “I guess I’m not loud enough.”
He continued to say that he would ardently support a more perceptive angle to retell the 85-year-old movie with a “cool, progressive spin on it” but still was not convinced.
Dinklage’s remarks ignited arguments online, and Disney replied to his comments Tuesday in a statement released on different platforms.
“To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” stated a spokesperson. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
