Dwarf actors have continued to criticise Peter Dinklage for labelling Disney’s Snow White remake as ‘backwards’ – as they suggest he is ‘taking away dream roles’ from little people.
Dylan Postl, who played Hornswoggle the leprechaun in WWE for 10 years and has also acted in The Muppets, appeared on ITV‘s This Morning via video link today to discuss Dinklage’s recent complaints.
Dinklage criticised Disney for remaking the 1937 film, questioning: ‘Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I’m not loud enough.’
In response, the American studio said it is ‘taking a different approach’ with Snow White’s seven companions and has been consulting with members of the dwarfism community throughout the early stages of production.
However, US-based Postl said Disney’s decision to ‘rethink’ the characters could take ‘dream roles away’, while viewers shared their sadness and fury at the seven dwarfs being ‘cancelled’ in the classic film.
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Dylan Postl (pictured), who played Hornswoggle the leprechaun in WWE for 10 years and has also acted in The Muppets, appeared on ITV’s This Morning via video link today to discuss Dinklage’s recent complaints
Dinklage (pictured) criticised Disney for remaking the 1937 film, questioning: ‘Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I’m not loud enough.’
In response, the American studio said it is ‘taking a different approach’ with Snow White’s seven companions and has been consulting with members of the dwarfism community throughout the early stages of production. Pictured, the 1937 film
Postl said: ‘With what Dinklage said and his comments, he’s taking dream roles away that were made and set in stone for seven dwarf actors. Actors that dream of being in a Disney film.’
He added: ‘By being progressive in his mind and what he was trying to do and says he is trying to do, is really doing the opposite and taking dreams away and potential roles from seven dwarf actors – I think it’s a shame.
‘It doesn’t make any sense to me that we are taking one person’s voice for the whole community.’
Postl agreed that it was ‘100 per cent’ a shame that Dinklage’s voice was ‘the only one’ representing the dwarf community.
He went on to add: ‘I can argue too, he has been in major roles from Game of Thrones to Elf, but what were they cast as? They were little people dwarf roles; those cheques cashed just fine. He knew what he was getting himself in for there.’
Bodybuilding dwarf Choon Tan, 27, from north London, who has featured in Snow White productions, and also appeared on the show, also shared his displeasure at Dinklage’s comments.
However, US-based Postl said Disney’s decision to ‘rethink’ the characters could take ‘dream roles away’, while viewers (above) shared their sadness and fury at the seven dwarfs being ‘cancelled’ in the classic film
Bodybuilding dwarf Choon Tan (pictured right), 27, from north London, who has featured in Snow White productions, and also appeared on the show, also shared his displeasure at Dinklage’s comments
Choon (pictured) said: ‘It can have a knock-on effect to other productions that are scared to employ people who are little and or who have dwarfism in fear of being attacked or derogatory.’
Choon said: ‘It can have a knock-on effect to other productions that are scared to employ people who are little and or who have dwarfism in fear of being attacked or derogatory.’
He added that the dwarfs are ‘heroes’ in Snow White and ‘are not made out to be anything less’.
Concluding his argument, Postl said: ‘This is a role made for me and our community, for the first time ever. I can’t be Superman, or Spider-Man or Captain America. I can be one of the seven dwarfs.’
Viewers were quick to take to Twitter on the subject, with one person writing: ‘So the snowflakes want Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs banned?! What next?
‘Dumbo? Offensive for folk with big ears? There’s no business like woke business.’
Another said: ‘It’s called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the clue is in the name!’
A third added: ‘This is so sad, another result of cancel culture.’
A Disney spokesperson said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter: ‘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.
‘We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.’
The response came after Dinklage blasted Disney for remaking the 1937 film and shared he was surprised by the casting of West Side Story breakout star Rachel Zegler as Snow White.
‘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,’ Drinklage, 52, told Marc Maron on his WTF podcast.
‘Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way and you’re still making that f***ing backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing man?’
Disney said the film, which is still years from release, will have cultural consultants, just like its life-action remakes of Aladdin and Mulan did.
The studio also claims it has been working on reimagining the dwarf characters since its earliest production stages.
Disney did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Dinklage was promoting his new movie Cyrano on the podcast with Maron where they were discussing ‘wokeness’ when he discussed the Snow White reboot.
‘Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soap box? I guess I’m not loud enough,’ Dinklage questioned.
He added he didn’t know what studio was remaking Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but he recalled, ‘they were so proud of it.’
‘All love and respect to the actress and all the people who thought they were doing the right thing. But I’m just like, what are you doing?’ he added.
The original animated film (pictured) was based on an 1812 fairy tale from The Brothers Grimm, though the dwarfs in that story lived in a cottage, not a cave
Dinklage has a form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, which affects bone growth, causing him to have shorter limbs.
He said the story of Snow White can still be told, but it needs to be updated to reflect today’s standards.
‘If you tell the story of ‘Snow White’ with the most f***ed up, progressive spin on it? Let’s do it. All in,’ he stated.
The original animated film was based on an 1812 fairy tale from The Brothers Grimm, though the dwarfs in that story lived in a cottage, not a cave.
Dinklage’s concerns were shared by some charities, including the Restricted Growth Association in the UK.
‘I very much stand with Peter Dinklage on the disappointment and irritation towards Disney for the remake of Snow White,’ Rhonda Cutmore, a member of the association, told The Telegraph. ‘As a 46-year-old woman with restricted growth, this story has always had a negative impact on me. Not just the physical characteristics, but the labelling of ‘Dopey’ and ‘Bashful’, were not helpful in the playground.
She added: ‘People with restricted growth are in majority born to average height parents – they never live in gingerbread houses, have little bear beds nor live in homogeneous groups together.’
Dwarfism writer Steph Robson said she hoped film producers make an effort to avoid stereotypes in its retelling of the classic movie.
‘It is my hope that the latest live action remake, and Disney, will, at the very least go some way to redress the decades of the one-dimensional stereotypes that our disability continues to experience, especially within arts and cultural settings,’ she told the outlet.
The story has also been criticised as being ableist for portraying the dwarfs with lesser intelligence and Snow White seeing them as children.
Zegler will star alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen with Marc Webb directing from a script by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Oscar-nominated producer Marc Platt, who also worked on Disney’s live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid, is set to produce the film.
Meanwhile, Dinklage will next be seen in American Dreamer with Shirley MacLaine, Danny Glover, Matt Dillon and Danny Pudi, which is in post-production.
He has a number of projects currently filming like Hitpig, The Toxic Avenger and Brothers.