Disney responds to Peter Dinklage's 'Snow White' criticism
Disney has responded to Peter Dinklage's criticism of the forthcoming "Snow White" live-action movie, particularly due to the depiction of the titular seven dwarfs.
"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," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to "Good Morning America." "We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period."
The response came after the "Game of Thrones" alum expressed concern over the announced reimagining of the 1937 classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the first full-length animated film from Disney, while appearing on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast.
When discussing "West Side Story" star Rachel Zegler's casting as the titular Disney princess, Dinklage said he was "a little taken aback" at the discrepancy in the "progressive" casting of a Latina actress as Snow White while telling a "backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together."
"Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense," he said. "Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough."
Dinklage said he meant "literally no offense to anyone" and sent "all love and respect to the actress [Zegler] and to the people who thought they were doing the right thing."
Gal Gadot has signed on to play the Evil Queen opposite Zegler's Snow White. No release date for the live-action reimagining has been announced.
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