With the drama of “Snow White” behind her, Rachel Zegler has somehow found another acting gig in an industry that’s tried to shun her. It’s not a major role, nor is it attached with any major studio, but she’ll certainly take it at the moment.
Zegler is set to star in the independently financed romcom “She Gets it From Me,” and she’ll be co-starring with Marisa Tomei for good measure. Zegler will play the daughter of Tomei's ex-punk rocker birth mother.
The project, directed by Julia von Heinz, currently has no distribution, but is being shopped around by Embankment. Who knows, maybe someone will bite.
Based on a true story, “She Gets It From Me” follows Nicky (Zegler), whose engagement celebration turns into a search for her pill-popping, ex-punk rocker birth mother, Charlotte (Tomei). Together, the two embark on an anarchic mother-and-daughter journey to reconnect.
So, Zegler’s career might now be in its Melissa Barrera phase, the latter had the same issues, dealing with severe backlash, being fired from the ‘Scream’ franchise, for speaking her mind, politically, and earning the wrath of media and Hollywood.
A month ago, Disney basically blamed the “Snow White” bombing on Zegler’s off-set behavior. Disney needed a scapegoat, and Zegler was the most obvious target. The Mouse House did the exact same thing to “The Marvels” director Nia DaCosta, right after her film bombed, leaking to the trades about her inexperienced behavior on and off-set.
Now, whether Zegler deserved the full blame for “Snow White” is not for me to say, but she certainly didn’t help. A Variety report, filled with anonymous sources, most likely Disney-connected, painted Zegler as irresponsible, and erratic in behavior during the promotion of “Snow White.”
Zegler launched her film career with a breakout performance in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” (2021), earning a Golden Globe Award and widespread recognition. She went on to appear in major studio productions such as “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” followed by a highly publicized role in Disney’s upcoming live-action “Snow White.” With these high-profile projects behind her, Zegler now appears poised to transition into the indie phase of her career.