Rachel Zegler’s performance in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes trailer lights up the internet with praise and may have reversed the recent Snow White backlash. Based on the 2020 novel by Suzanne Collins, the Hunger Games prequel follows a young Coriolanus Snow and the events that led him to become the tyrannical President of Panem, mainly his relationship with the District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird. The cast includes Tom Blyth as Snow and rising star Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray.
Now, soon after the release of the new Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes trailer, Rachel Zegler’s performance as Lucy Gray is lighting up the internet with praise. Her rendition of the rebel ballad, “The Hanging Tree,” has especially been the subject of much attention and anticipation. Check out a few of the reactions below:
@kimichkis writes, “words cannot describe the non-human noise that came out of my mouth when i heard rachel zegler singing the hanging tree and the shot of the actual hanging tree at the end..“
@delcttie calls Zegler an “absolute work of art” and a “talented girl.”
@giselleb1234 says they are “so excited to hear” Zegler singing “The Hanging Tree” in theaters.
@rachsdaya claims Zegler has “the voice of an angel and a god.”
@niggaolas says that Zegler might not get an Oscar for her performance, though she will get a Golden Globe.
@paulswhtn can’t wait and says, “I need to hear rachel zegler’s hanging tree right now.”
@photonsmight says, “Rachel Zegler don’t make that SERVE.”
@SnowWhiteNews writes, “Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird you will always be famous.”
Can Rachel Zegler’s Hunger Games Performance Reverse The Snow White Backlash?
Zegler burst onto the scene with a breakthrough performance as María in Steven Spielberg’s musical remake, West Side Story. From there, she was quickly cast in more high-profile roles, including Anthea in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and the titular princess in the live-action Snow White remake. However, her casting in the Disney movie sparked backlash since Zegler, a Latina actress of Colombian descent, will be playing Snow White, a character whose name originates from the fact she has “skin as white as snow.”
Since Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be released first on November 17, the Hunger Games prequel has a chance to reverse some of that backlash before Snow White arrives on March 22, 2024. The backlash is racially motivated, so it will hopefully subside as soon as audiences get to see her actual performance which, given Zegler’s track record, should be stellar. Though many are surprised by her singing in the Hunger Games trailer, Zegler previously showcased her vocal talents in West Side Story.
Zegler’s performance in the Hunger Games prequel may not be enough to win an Oscar, as one person points out, though she could win a Golden Globe, as she did for West Side Story. It remains to be seen if The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes can completely reverse the Snow White backlash, though the positive reaction to the new trailer is a promising start.
Key Release Date
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Release Date:2023-11-17
