Rachel Zegler’s Co-Star Fires Back at Online Backlash: “Such Manufactured Outrage”

Rachel Zegler, who first caught the world’s attention as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, has faced heavy online criticism recently. The actress, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for that role, later expanded her career with big franchise movies like Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where she played Anthea, and Disney’s Snow White a film she helped completely bury with her statements.

She’s been under intense scrutiny recently and online critics even attacked some of her creative decisions on her latest Evita production, and her co-star James Olivas is stepping up to defend her.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Olivas talked openly about the harsh online reaction Rachel has received. He compared her polarizing reception to the way Eva Perón was seen, both loved and hated. Olivas dismissed much of the criticism as baseless and pointed fingers at the media for piling on the actress unfairly.

He also highlighted how Rachel has become an easy target for this backlash.

Olivas specifically addressed the controversy around a scene in Evita, where Rachel’s character leaves the stage to sing from a balcony to the audience below. Many critics have blamed Rachel for this creative choice, but Olivas made it clear that she’s just an actor doing what she’s told. “I think Rachel became very notorious prior to the show. In very similar ways to Eva Perón, she was loved and hated. Prior to coming to London, my understanding of her was that she was being dogpiled on a little bit by the media…” he said.

“I did some actual research, like, ‘What is this scandal? What are the big controversies?’ and found that there’s nothing of merit. It’s people just choosing to be angry at her because she is a woman of color, and she is young, an easy target.”

He also pushed back on rumors from Rachel’s press tour for Snow White. Some critics claimed Rachel hated the traditional Snow White story and made changes like removing the prince. Olivas called this nonsense, explaining that Rachel is not the writer or director. “Do you think that she’s the writer? Do you think she’s the director? She’s an actor, she was given lines, she was given a job.” He stressed that blaming her for creative decisions is unfair.

Olivas went on to describe the backlash as “such manufactured outrage.” He said actual theater audiences love the balcony scene in Evita and that the negative reactions are not based on reality. “It was this game of telephone that was never rooted in truth—there’s not been a single person that has come to see the show that has anything less than loved what that moment is in the theater and how it reads outside…”

He also highlighted how Rachel’s rise is inspiring to many people. Coming from humble beginnings, she used determination and hard work to become one of the most famous women in the world. “How people feel about her, ultimately, is extremely empowering to a lot of people. The case of this woman not coming from means, and through sheer determination and willpower was able to climb her way to becoming what she was at the time: the most famous woman in the world.”

James Olivas’ defense sheds light on how much Rachel Zegler is misunderstood in the current wave of criticism. His comments remind us that sometimes, online outrage can be more about creating drama than the truth. For Rachel, the fight continues, not just for her career, but for her voice against what Olivas claims are unfair attacks.

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