At this very moment, Rachel Zegler is earning what seems like well-deserved raves for her turn in the title role of the West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical Evita.
Suffice to say, it’s a nice change of pace after the exhausting discourse around her appearance in Disney’s ill-fated live-action remake of Snow White — which reached a fever pitch after Variety published a widely-derided report claiming that the film’s troubles stemmed from Rachel’s vocal support for the Palestinian people, as well as her opposition to current US President Donald Trump.
In a new interview with i-D, Rachel addressed the effects that all the backlash had on her, as well as her commitment to speaking her mind on the matters that mean the most to her.
“My fucking psychiatrist has seen me through all of it,” she said, adding that it was necessary for someone to remind her that, “’What you’re going through isn’t normal’…That sentence did such wonders for me in multiple situations in my life.”
During that time, Rachel was also prescribed medication to treat anxiety, which she describes as a “game-changer.” “I just wasn’t functioning,” she explained, “and I wanted to function in a way that made me feel confident in the way I was moving through the world.”
“I think a victim mindset is a choice, and I don’t choose it,” she added. “I also don’t choose nastiness in the face of it. I don’t choose negativity in the face of it. I choose positivity and light and happiness. And I do believe at times, happiness is absolutely a choice, and every day I wake up and I think I’m very lucky to live the life I live.”
In the interview, Rachel also addressed her support for the Palestinian people amidst the ongoing genocide taking place in Gaza, gesturing towards Hacks star Hannah Einbinder’s recent comments: “I can really only echo Hannah Einbinder in saying that a platform becomes a responsibility, and that responsibility is ours to use as we please,” she said.
“My compassion has no boundaries, is really what it is,” she added, “and my support for one cause does not denounce any others. That’s always been at the core of who I am as a person. It’s the way I was raised…There are obviously things that are at stake by being outspoken, but nothing is worth innocent lives. My heart doesn’t have a fence around it, and if that is considered my downfall? There are worse things.”
Hear, hear. You can read the entire interview with Rachel right here.