Disney has responded to recent criticism made by Peter Dinklage over its live-action remake of “Snow White.”
On Monday, the “Game of Thrones” star was a guest on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast, where he slammed the upcoming film based on the 1937 animated classic. The actor, who has dwarfism, noted that the story makes caricatures out of people like him.
Soon after, a Disney spokesperson issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in an attempt to set the record straight.
“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,” the statement read. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
PETER DINKLAGE CRITICIZES ‘SNOW WHITE’ REMAKE’S PUSH FOR DIVERSITY: ‘IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME’
Rachel Zegler was cast in the title role of “Snow White.” (Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)
The outlet noted that “Snow White” will have cultural consultants, just like with other live-action films like “Aladdin” and “Mulan.” The film has been in development for three years and the studio has been reimagining the dwarf characters since the earliest stages of development.
During his appearance, Dinklage pointed out the casting of “West Side Story” breakout star Rachel Zegler.
“There’s a lot of hypocrisy going on,” said the 52-year-old, as quoted by Variety. “Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. But 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. It makes no sense to me.”
The “Cyrano” actor went on to lament the fact that he feels he hasn’t done enough for people like him in Hollywood with characters like Tyrion Lannister and his adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. Both characters acknowledge their dwarfism but have rich, full-character arcs that go well beyond the condition.
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Peter Dinklage shared his thoughts about “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
“You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f—ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f— are you doing, man?” he explained. “Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough. I don’t know which studio that is, but they were so proud of it. All love and respect to the actress and all the people who thought they were doing the right thing. But I’m just like, what are you doing?”
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was Disney’s first animated feature film, following a young princess who must flee the Evil Queen. She makes her way to a cottage in the forest that is inhabited by seven dwarfs named Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey who all work in a nearby mine.
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Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, is on board as the Evil Queen. (David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Zegler’s casting came in June amid reports that the film was poised to start filming sometime in early 2022, Entertainment Weekly reported. New songs will be written for the live-action adaptation of the classic tale, which was originally an 1800s German fairy tale by the infamous Brothers Grimm, by “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman” duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and directed by Marc Webb, best known for “Amazing Spider-Man” movies.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
