“West Side Story” breakout star Rachel Zegler skyrocketed to fame, but not without a race-driven backlash.

Following the news of Zegler being cast in the titular role for Disney’s upcoming live-action “Snow White” film, newcomer Zegler described the social media backlash she endured.

“When it was announced, it was a huge thing that was trending on Twitter for days, because all of the people were angry,” Zegler said during Variety‘s Actors on Actors discussion with Andrew Garfield.

As for haters, Zegler advised, “We need to love them in the right direction.”

The upcoming “Snow White” remake is being directed by Marc Webb, and co-stars Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.

“Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me,” Zegler said of joining the iconic film franchise. “You don’t normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though...