Comedian and actor Brad Williams has his own ideas on how Disney should handle the dwarf characters in their upcoming Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs remake. Recently, the film has been in the headlines after Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage criticized the concept. Dinklage says that it's "f--king backwards" to remake that movie in live-action, reinforcing certain stereotypes that he had hoped would remain in the past.
“I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. You’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Dinklage said on Marc Maron's "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--king backwards 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.”
Brad Williams, who was born with dwarfism himself, doesn't necessarily disagree with Dinklage's opinion. He spoke with TMZ about the situation and concurs that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a bit problematic as it is. Williams has a different idea on how to fix the situation, however. For his part, Williams would like to see Dopey and the gang be a part of the live-action remake, but this time they should serve as romantic interest possibilities for Snow White. He also suggests that many actors with dwarfism, himself included, would still be happy to star in the film.
"He's right, but at the same time, I'm torn, because it's like, yes, it's mildly offensive, but at the same time, I kind of need the work," Williams explains. "I think there's ways to fix it. I think there's ways you can still do a progressive Snow White and not offend the dwarfs. Like, make Snow White end up with one of the dwarfs, how about that? I mean, she goes for a prince, who made out with her while she was legally dead. I mean, that's kind of creepy, right? She should go for one of the dwarfs!"
The comedian adds: "I mean, they have jobs, you know? They got good friends. They got a house. They like to protect her. They're diamond miners, so they're rich. They're self-made, wealthy. It's not like the prince, who's just like, 'Do you know who my father is?' Come on, how about you end up with the dwarfs, and you have a progressive Snow White, and everybody's happy."
Disney Will Reportedly Replace the Dwarfs with Magical Creatures
After Peter Dinklage's criticism went viral, Disney offered a public response to address the controversy. The company noted that they were "taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community” with the goal of not reinforcing any of the stereotypes depicted in the animated original. Officially, Disney stated that more details would be revealed in the future about how they will handle these characters.
It has since been reported that the plan may be to substitute dwarfs for "magical creatures," according to casting sheets for the film. This might suggest that Snow White's seven friends will look nothing like the dwarfs in the animated movie and will instead be something else entirely. There's no word yet on if they will still be cave miners who share a single cottage with unique names based on their personalities.
Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs remake doesn't yet have a release date.