Too Woke or Not Woke Enough? Hollywood Reconsiders Progressive Agenda

Hollywood is re-evaluating its progressive agenda, with studios such as Disney and Paramount rolling back aspects of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) push that has defined the industry for years.

- Alison de Souza

This follows a backlash against storylines and stars seen as too "woke," as well as anti-DEI policies by the Donald Trump administration and a broader cultural shift towards conservatism in the United States.

But as the industry adapts, it is taking flak from all sides.

Disney's live-action Snow White remake, which opens in Singapore cinemas on March 20, is a prime example.

A US$270 million (S$359 million) Disney tentpole movie would ordinarily be marketed with a globetrotting press tour, with the cast doing scores of interviews and attending multiple premieres.

Instead, the studio settled for a single, subdued premiere in Los Angeles on March 15. It did not invite any media outlets to interview the actors on the red carpet, limiting their interactions to photographers and an in-house crew.

This was widely seen as a bid to avoid further controversies over the movie's 23-year-old star Rachel Zegler, whose outspoken progressive views have repeatedly sparked blowback on social media.

At a 2022 fan event, the American actress dismissed Disney's original Snow White - the beloved 1937 animated film - as a dated fairy tale. She said there was too much focus "on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her".