Snow White actor Martin Klebba is disappointed that Disney has decided to scale back the film’s big premiere.
Klebba, who voices Grumpy in the live-action adaptation of the animated classic, told TMZ on Wednesday, March 12, that “he’s seriously bummed and a bit pissed Disney axed what should’ve been a massive premiere for such a major film.”
While the Snow White premiere will take place on Saturday, March 15, at Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theatre, it won’t be a typical red-carpet event. As Variety reported Tuesday, the press won’t be present for interviews with stars Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler, the film’s leading ladies, and the event will instead be limited to photographers and house crew. (Us Weekly has reached out to Disney for comment.)
Zegler, 23, plays the titular princess in the film, and Gadot, 39, portrays the Evil Queen. Klebba, meanwhile, is among the actors lending their voices to motion-captured versions of the Seven Dwarves, taking on the role of Grumpy. (Klebba, 55, has a form of dwarfism called acromicric dysplasia.)
Why Are People Mad About ‘Snow White’? The Controversy Explained
Reasons for the scaled-back premiere have not been confirmed, but the latest Snow White iteration has generated various controversies since the production began four years ago. In a January 2022 interview on Marc Maron‘s “WTF” podcast, actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, opined: “You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f—ing backward story about seven dwarves living in a cave together. What the f— are you doing, man?”
After Dinklage’s feedback, Disney released a statement saying, “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.”
According to TMZ, Klebba claimed that “as far as he knows, motion-capture was always the plan and was not a knee-jerk reaction” to Dinklage’s comments.
The outlet reported, however, that Klebba noted how “it’s unbelievably difficult for Little People to land Hollywood roles, let alone lead ones, so this could have been a bigger opportunity for others.”
Rachel Zegler Views Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Backlash as ‘Passion’
Zegler, meanwhile, garnered pushback from critics in 2023 when she called the 1937 original “dated” because the prince “literally stalks Snow White,” telling Variety in an interview at the time, “She’s not going to be saved by the prince. She’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”
During an interview for the March 2025 issue of Vogue Mexico, Zegler addressed the public’s response to the reinterpretation of Snow White. “I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion,” she said, per translations. “What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about. We’re not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us and all we can do is our best.”
