Peter Dinklage calls out Disney for hypocrisy over Snow White remake. What happened?
Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage has, rightfully, called out Disney for the live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The 52-year-old actor who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, called the remake "f*****g backwards".
Dinklage accused the Disney studio of double standards by only paying attention to racial diversity in its cast, but not to the other damaging stereotypes in the storyline.
"I was a little taken aback by [the fact] they were very proud to cast a Latina actress [Rachel Zegler] as Snow White, but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Dinklage said on Marc Maron's WTF podcast on January 24.
He went on to clarify on the podcast by saying, "Literally no offence 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. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f*****g backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough."
The Emmy-winner is not part of Disney's project.
Disney responded by saying it was going to "avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film".
A Disney spokesperson told New York Post, "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."
The original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film, released in 1937, was the first full-length animated feature film from Disney. The movie has seen many adaptations over the years, all featuring the seven dwarfs living in a cave.
The Disney remake, to be directed by Marc Webb, is currently in pre-production and is set to start filming this summer in the UK. Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot will play Snow White and the Evil Queen respectively.