Russell Brand slammed Rachel Zegler as ‘haughty’ amid the disastrous release of her Snow White remake.
Brand, 49, discussed Zegler’s controversial statements in a 2022 interview with Extra, where she notably labeled the original Snow White’s prince as a ‘stalker’ and criticized the storyline as ‘weird.’
The actor turned right wing influencer weighed in on Zegler’s remarks on his Rumble live show, Stay Free.
He remarked that Zegler seemed to exhibit a slight air of superiority towards others and conveyed his observation that her ego might have been inflated by individuals benefiting financially from her work. Drawing from his own experiences as a celebrity, he pointed out how fame can lead to people around you exaggerating your importance to keep you motivated and profitable, despite the actual societal role you play.
‘Yeah, she’s a bit haughty, isn’t she?’ Brand commented after watching the clip. ‘Haughty, I would say, a little bit supercilious is what I’d use there but I’ve been a star before, and what happens is people puff you up, and tell you that you’re really important in order to keep you focused so they continue to make money off of you. While actually, you’re just fulfilling the role in the culture.’
Brand himself is in the midst of controversy – in October 2023, he faced serious accusations from a series of women, including rape and sexual assault when four women made allegations. The actor has strenuously denied wrongdoing, and says he has evidence to refute allegations.
Russell Brand slammed Rachel Zegler as ‘haughty’ amid the disastrous release of her Snow White remake; pictured 2017
Comments Zegler made in 2022 about the original Snow White sparked the critical comments from Brand
Zegler raised eyebrows after she blasted the original fairy tale film as ‘weird’ during her 2022 interview.Â
‘I mean, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story, with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird! So we didn’t do that this time,’ she said at D23.
‘We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie, Angie Burnap, great dude.’
The $270million remake of the 1937 classic starring Zegler, 23, has been beset by multiple controversies including the actress panning the original film for its ‘sexist’ traditional romance plot and adding ‘free Palestine’ to an X post plugging the film.Â
Snow White made just $3.5 million in Thursday previews and earned $43 million during its opening weekend.
That places the film well behind the performance of Disney’s Little Mermaid remake, which premiered in 2023 and made $95 million during its opening weekend.
Disney’s 2019 Dumbo remake made $2.6 million in previews and profited a total of $45 million on opening weekend.
However, Dumbo only required $170 million to make, compared to Snow White’s budget of more than $250 million, excluding marketing costs.
The $270million remake of the 1937 classic starring Zegler, 23, has been beset by multiple controversies including the actress panning the original film for its ‘sexist’ traditional romance plot and adding ‘free Palestine’ to an X post plugging the film
Despite the underperforming figures, Snow White’s preview numbers did rank higher than Disney’s Cinderella remake, which only grossed $2.3 million. However, Cinderella ended up pulling a Cinderella story with a surprising $91.8 million in its opening weekend.
If the empty theaters across the U.K. is any indicator of the film’s dismal debut, it’s certainly catching the eye of Zegler’s critics.
Screenshots began circulating on social media of theater seating charts with only a few seats filled and photos of moviegoers surrounded by empty chairs.
Some critics have even jokingly called for someone to start a GoFundMe to help the movie make up its production costs.
What’s not helping the film’s success is the controversies surrounding the film – from it being called too ‘woke’ to Zegler being blamed for death threats aimed at costar Gal Gadot, who is Israeli.
Snow White made just $3.5 million in Thursday previews and earned $43 million during its opening weekend
Zegler’s pro-Palestine posts have been blamed for a spike in death threats directed at Gadot that grew so fierce Disney reportedly forked out for private security.
Zegler made movie executives nervous after she wrote ‘and always remember, free Palestine’ after an X post last August in which she discussed the hype for the embattled fairytale film.
The comment allegedly caused a spike in death threats towards her 39-year-old co-star Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, according to Variety.
The Hollywood journal has suggested Gadot came under so much fire from fans that Disney’s top brass elected to hire security for the mother-of-four, who completed two years of mandatory Israel Defence Forces service as an instructor in her youth.
Zegler made the comments at D23 Expo in 2022; pictured
It’s the latest in a long line of controversies to tar the live-action remake of Disney’s classic, the first feature-length animation produced by the studio in 1937.
Meanwhile, Brand himself is in the midst of controversy. Â
Brand is reportedly being sued over allegations of sex abuse in the first ever known lawsuit brought against him in the UK.
An individual, said to be a woman, has allegedly filed a ‘personal injury sex abuse’ case against Brand at London’s High Court.
He is also facing civil sexual assault claims in the US, where a woman claimed the star exposed himself and assaulted her in 2010.
The newest case was filed in London on February 6, according to The Sun, with legal firm Remedy Law said to be acting on behalf of the anonymous individual.
It comes after the Metropolitan Police gave evidence to the CPS following allegations of sexual assault, rape and emotional abuse by Brand.
The comedian has previously denied all allegations against him, claiming he has never had non-consensual sex.
Brand is reportedly being sued over allegations of sex abuse in the first ever known lawsuit brought against him in the UK; pictured 2014
In 2023, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches revealed four women had accused Brand of sexual assault between 2006 and 2013.
After the publication of those allegations, officers then received a report of an alleged assault said to have taken place in 2003.
Last month, it was disclosed that Brand is now living in America full-time, with his wife and children. However, he could be extradited to the UK to face allegations of sexual abuse.
The star has reinvented himself as a social commentator, recently recording a video chat with Only Fans star Lily Phillips, who claims to have had sex with 101 men in 24 hours.
Brand told Phillips she was a ‘child of God’ and offered her his ‘service’ and ‘protection’ in the bizarre interview.
The former actor also told the adult content creator that she ‘deserved to be cherished and treasured in every aspect of your life’.
Their conversation was broadcast on Brand’s Rumble channel and was his first public appearance since the BBC apologised to staff over the former presenter’s conduct during his time at the Corporation between 2006 and 2008.
