It has been said that Disney would be “taking a different approach” following Peter Dinklage’s accusations that the movie could reinforce “backward” stereotypes around dwarfism.
Disney first announced that it was remaking the 1937 classic animated feature film, which is based on a 19th-century fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, in June last year.
Several lead stars were announced, including West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler as Snow White, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, and Andrew Burnap playing a male lead role.
However, no details of the actors playing the dwarves, or how the theme will be revisited, were released – and Peter’s criticism, made on the comedian Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, focused around this oversight.
Dinklage, best known for playing the role of Tyrion in Game of Thrones, has a rare form of dwarfism called achronoplasia. On the show, he pointed out the disparity between the “progressive” casting of a Latina actor – tapping into the very prevalent diversity conversation in Hollywood right now – yet the apparent silence around the story’s inherently “backward” portrayal of dwarfism.
He told the podcast host: “Literally no offence to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Peter continued: “Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that f**king backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f**k are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough. They were so proud of that, and all love and respect to the actress and the people who thought they were doing the right thing, but I’m just like … what are you doing?”
It wasn’t the first time Peter had spoken out in support of those who share his condition. When accepting his 2012 Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor, he used his speech to admonish the practice of dwarf-tossing, citing the case of Martin Henderson, who was injured after being thrown in a bar by a rugby fan. Henderson died from his injuries five years after the accident, in 2016.