'Snow White' Star Rachel Zegler Says She Worked to Make a 'Modern Woman Out of' Disney Character

Rachel Zegler is Snow White for a whole new generation.

The 1937 Disney animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs serves as the inspiration for the upcoming live-action reimagining, but don't expect a beat-by-beat retelling.

"Most of my character does not work for today's audience, I'll just say it," Zegler — who plays the lead princess in the movie opposite Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen — told PEOPLE at the D23 Expo on Friday, comparing their new version to the original. "We did a really deep dive into fixing and making a modern woman out of Snow White."

She and the filmmakers set out to "make a new version of the character."

"I think she's 13 in the original cartoon, so we started there and said, 'No, she's 18 in this one.' She's a bit more independent," Zegler, 21, continues. "She's also living in grief. I mean, there was a lot of complex emotion that we decided to deep-dive into. And understanding what it's like to be a teenager on top of all that."

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The actress adds, "It was really incredible to watch the cartoon and see, there's no more waiting for a man, which is really nice. So a little bit more agency. We really see the journey she goes to become a really just and wonderful leader."

Zegler admits she feels "pressure" taking on the iconic role: "I can't seem to stop taking on things that are a lot of pressure. It's really bad for me. But I mean, after doing West Side Story and feeling that pressure for a really long time, I kind of felt aptly prepared for taking on something like Snow White."

She adds, "I had the best time, and I do feel that pressure creep in every now and then when I see little girls dressed as her, but I also think that it's something that's so important to see."

Snow White debuts in 2024.