Martin Klebba, an actor from Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, has shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding the upcoming film.
In an interview, Klebba, 55, who voices Grumpy, one of the seven dwarfs, and also serves as an advisor for the characters, discussed the plans for the movie’s premiere, which is set to take place in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 15.
“It really isn’t going to be a red carpet,” Klebba told the outlet. “It’s going to be at the El Capitan [Theatre], which is cool. But it’s basically going to be a pre-party, watch the movie, and that’s it.”
“There’s not going to be this whole hoopla of, ‘Disney’s first f—— movie they ever made.’ Because of all this controversy, they’re afraid of the blowback from different people in society,” Klebba added.
The actor also stated that Snow White’s California premiere had been altered from its original plans due to “the controversy with Rachel,” referring to Rachel Zegler, who plays the titular Snow White.
It was clarified, however, that Klebba “had not been given direct information on why the event was altered.” A source familiar with the situation told, “Nothing was scaled back. It was always the plan to have an afternoon event for families, as Disney has done in the past for other family films.”
Snow White, which also stars Gal Gadot as The Evil Queen, is a live-action retelling of Disney’s first-ever animated feature, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Ahead of its release, the film, directed by Marc Webb, written by Erin Cressida Wilson, and featuring original songs by composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, has been met with criticism for a variety of reasons.
After Zegler, 23, was announced as the lead in 2022, she faced racist backlash for being cast as the Disney Princess despite being of Latinx descent (she is of Colombian and Polish heritage).
Zegler later found herself embroiled in further controversy, including when she revealed that Snow White’s name has a different origin in the new film, and when she described the original animated movie as “dated,” while also commenting that Prince Charming “literally stalks” Snow White.
The film has also sparked rumors of tension between Zegler and Gadot, 39. A source recently shared that the two actresses “have a huge age gap and very different political views.”
In addition, Snow White has been criticized by Peter Dinklage, who was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He accused Disney of “hypocrisy” for the fairy tale’s portrayal of seven dwarfs living in a cave together, a portrayal which the company has opted to update with CGI characters.
Regarding the use of real people to portray the seven dwarfs, Klebba explained, “I don’t usually get into the political stuff, but I [felt], ‘Dwarfs aren’t going to go away just because you can’t imagine that they’re there.’ We’re still going to be walking around.”
“So I didn’t get the whole stuff about not doing the dwarfs. The story’s been around forever, and it’s a classic,” he continued.
However, Klebba acknowledged that he understands why CGI was ultimately chosen to create the dwarfs, who also include Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey.
“If you guys go this route, it just makes sense to be able to draw them the way you want,” the actor said. “This way, they’re all the same size. And to find seven little people actors to pull it off, that’s not an easy thing either.”
Klebba had previously appeared in two other versions of Snow White, including 2012’s Mirror Mirror, which starred Julia Roberts and Lily Collins, and the 2001 TV movie Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, which starred Miranda Richardson and Kristin Kreuk.
Klebba’s agent said, “Marty is 100% a Disney man… [and] was honored to be the voice of Grumpy. He feels everyone should go to the movie with an open heart and forget about all the negative publicity and enjoy themselves.”
“He’s very much looking forward to the premiere and reconnecting with… the Disney family that he hasn’t seen in a while,” the agent added.
Snow White will be in theaters on March 21.