A performer from Disney’s upcoming live-action Snow White is sharing his perspective amid ongoing discussions surrounding the film’s release.
Martin Klebba—who has previously been involved in two adaptations of Snow White, including the 2012 film Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts and Lily Collins—provides the voice for Grumpy in the new version while also serving as an advisor for the miner characters.
Klebba told that the recent controversy surrounding Snow White, which resulted in the film’s premiere on Saturday not including press on the red carpet, has made the celebration less exciting for those involved in the project. The movie stars Rachel Zegler as the titular character and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.
“It really isn’t going to be a red carpet,” Klebba explained, emphasizing his pride in the film and his anticipation for audiences to experience it. “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 fucking movie they ever made.’ Because of all this controversy, they’re afraid of the blowback from different people in society.”
Klebba attributed the premiere’s changes to “the controversy with Rachel” but clarified that he had not received direct confirmation regarding the specific reasons behind the alterations.
Zegler has developed a reputation as an outspoken performer, having previously stated in 2022 that she was not a fan of the original 1937 animated classic due to its outdated elements.
Additionally, after President Donald Trump was elected in November, Zegler posted critical remarks about his victory on social media before later issuing an apology.
In 2022, before production on the new Snow White had commenced, Peter Dinklage ignited discussion by criticizing Disney for rehashing “that fucking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.”
Snow White Movie
Klebba noted that the film had already planned to use motion-capture animation for the seven miners. As the voice of Grumpy, Klebba is the only little person to voice one of the dwarfs in the film.
“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,’” Klebba remarked.
“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.”
Klebba further explained that, given the film’s use of CGI animals, employing VFX for the dwarfs also seemed like a logical decision.
“If you guys go this route, it just makes sense to be able to draw them the way you want,” he 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.”
Additionally, he expressed surprise that the new film’s title, Snow White, does not reference the dwarfs as the 1937 version did.
“I wish they would’ve kept it,” Klebba stated regarding their exclusion from the name. “I wouldn’t have gone away from that. But the marketing people know what they’re doing.”
The actor expressed his gratitude for having been involved in three film projects connected to Disney theme park rides, in addition to his roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.
As for potential future opportunities with Disney, Klebba shared that he would love to be considered for the role of Puck, a Marvel superhero who has dwarfism.
“I’ve been waiting forever for somebody to write something for the Marvel Universe, instead of all these beautiful-looking guys like Chris Pratt — let’s have somebody different,” Klebba joked, referencing his co-star from the Netflix film The Electric State. “Let’s see some people that aren’t exactly nature’s wonder.”
