Disney Hits Back At Peter Dinklage's 'Snow White' Criticism: 'We Are Taking A Different Approach'
By Kristin Myers on January 25, 2022 at 7:45 PM EST
It seems that Disney wasn’t a fan of the way Peter Dinklage called out the recent live-action remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!”
As The Blast reported earlier today, Dinklage was disappointed – to say the least - when he heard the news that Disney was planning a live-action remake of the classic Disney animated film.
In an appearance on the “WTF” podcast, the “Game of Thrones” alum told host Marc Maron exactly what he thought of the Disney remake!
Peter Dinklage Slams Disney: ‘What The F--- Are You Doing, Man?’
The Emmy award winning actor didn’t mince words when he called out Disney and the “demeaning” portrayal of the seven dwarves. Although “West Side Story” actress Rachel Zegler has been cast as Snow White and “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot has been cast as the Evil Queen, there’s still no word on how Disney is going to portray the dwarves.
During the interview, he said that although he meant no offense to Zegler, there was a lot of hypocrisy in casting a Latina actress to play Snow White but not taking responsibility for the portrayal of the dwarves.
“I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White,” he said. “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,” he continued. “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?”
The “Cyrano” star lamented that he apparently hadn’t done more, saying, “Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox?”
“I guess I’m not loud enough,” he added. “All love and respect to the actress and all the people who thought they were doing the right thing.”
Although Dinkalge probably thought nothing would come of his comments, they started circulating online. After many fans started championing his cause, Disney decided to release a statement to address the controversy.
Disney Responds To Peter Dinklage’s Comments: ‘We Are Taking A Different Approach’
Dinklage’s comments went viral on Tuesday, which prompted Disney to put out a speedy response.
A spokesperson with Disney told Deadline, “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. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
It remains unclear how exactly they do plan to portray the seven dwarves in the film, but some fans were not having it. Many users took to social media in order to share their thoughts.
“Look, art does not live in a vacuum,” one user wrote. “Maybe they aren’t technically supposed to be people with dwarfism (or other conditions) but the fact remains that the comparisons have caused real people real pain for decades. Can’t dismiss it just because it wasn’t YOUR pain.”
“I wish people could be open to acknowledging this,” another user commented. “Everyone is eager to call people ‘snowflakes’ and complain they are ‘Too sensitive’ until it’s them being mocked, ridiculed and parodied in mainstream society.”
Fans Plead With Disney: 'Just Don't Do Snow White!'
I had the same thought as Peter Dinklage (one of the finest actors of our age, imo) when I read about the remake. If I were @Disney I’d make them ostracized giants, who happen to be dwarfs from their society, but giants to us. Make it all about perspective and connection. https://t.co/NUNkeKBsKv
— Stel Pavlou (@stelpavlou) January 25, 2022
“Just don’t do Snow White!!” another user wrote. “Completely unnecessary! The most boring Disney movie.”
“They should just accept that some Disney films are not suitable for a faithful live-action remake at this time,” another shared. “From a current perspective, there is a LOT of messed-up c--- in the classic animated films, and they only get a pass because they're both animated and >50 years old.”
“Heck, do a live-action Snow White that barely ties into the Grimm version and doesn't tie into the classic film at all!” they continued. “Maybe use a very common version of the tale, where the ‘dwarves’ are robbers, the Gaelic one (cats), the Swedish one (chimeras), or the Greek one (giants).”
Now that sounds like a movie worth watching!