Disney have issued a statement in response to actor Peter Dinklage, who criticised the choice to remake Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.
In response to Game Of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage’s comments on remaking ‘backwards’ tale Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Disney has released a statement to clarify their stance on the depiction of the dwarf characters.
“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,” Disney’s statement, released to The Hollywood Reporter, reads. “We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
Dinklage first spoke on Disney’s plans for a live-action Snow White adaptation on Marc Maron’s ‘WTF’ podcast. The actor specifically felt strongly about the incongruity of progressively casting a latina actor, Rachel Zegler, in the lead role, while continuing the ‘backwards’ depiction of the dwarfs.
“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?” Dinklage said. “Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I’m not loud enough”.
Even before he achieved worldwide fame through his role as Tyrion Lannister in Game Of Thrones, Dinklage has taken on roles that challenge ignorant views of people with dwarfism. In 2003’s Elf, his character loses his temper with Will Ferrell’s protagonist, Buddy, when he inadvertently makes offensive comments comparing him to an elf. It may be played for comedic effect, but it’s always clear that we’re laughing at Buddy’s ignorance, and not at Dinklage’s character.
Like many of Disney’s recent live-action remakes, including Mulan and Aladdin, Snow White will have had cultural consultants on board during the planning stages. The studio says they have been reimagining the dwarf characters since the very early stages of pre-production. Hopefully this means that the characters have been written to be more complex and progressive than previously.
We haven’t heard any casting information on the dwarfs yet, but starring in the film are Rachel Zegler as Snow White, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, and Andrew Burnap will be playing the male lead. The film doesn’t have a release date yet, but will be entering production this year. More news as we hear it.
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