Rachel Zegler opened up about the unexpected support she received from Ariana Grande amid backlash over her casting in the new live-action fantasy film, Snow White.

Zegler, who is of Colombian descent, faced criticism from right-wing commentators who were unhappy about the lead fictional character being portrayed by a person of color.

In a new interview with Allure, the 23-year-old actor said: “[Grande] reached out to me—kind of apropos of nothing—and was like, ‘If you need anything, I am here.’

“She is so deeply kind,” Zegler said of the Wicked star. “She has gone through so much in the public eye, and I have always really, really admired her courage in the face of all of that.”

“All I’m ever really looking for in this business is a sister and they’re not always easy to find,” Zegler continued. “We’re often told that other women have to be your competition and I don’t subscribe to that. I really do believe in championing your friends and championing your coworkers, whether you’re close with them or not.”

Zegler first sparked controversy among conservative critics in 2023 when she suggested the remake would be more feminist than the original film, which was released in 1937.

Zegler described the story as “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power and what a woman is 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,” she said in a separate red carpet interview, noting that the updated version is “really not about the love story at all” but about Snow White’s “inner journey to find her true self.”

She also said that the Snow White she’s playing is “not going to be dreaming about true love, she’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be.”

Further controversy came over the seven dwarfs.

Peter Dinklage, the Game of Thrones actor who has dwarfism, said in 2022 that he was surprised Disney was so proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, while “you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there.”

He continued: “It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together?”

In light of all the drama, Disney decided to scale back the film’s Hollywood premiere last week.

Despite the controversy, the new Snow White has already received praise from its first viewers ahead of its March 21 premiere in theaters.

Christopher Mills of Popped News wrote on X: “The biggest surprise of 2025 is that the most ‘controversial’ and most hated film of the year is actually a decent live-action remake.

“#SnowWhite is not only one of their best live-action remakes in years, but it’s also a film that recaptures the magic of the 1937 movie. Rachel Zegler IS Snow White, and she delivers such a magical performance,” he added.