Rachel Zegler said she has “always really, really admired” Ariana Grande for how she has handled her life in the public eye

Rachel Zegler is crediting Ariana Grande and other women in Hollywood with offering their support as she prepares for Snow White to hit theaters.

Zegler, 23, told Allure magazine in a cover story published online Tuesday, March 18 that Grande, 31, is among those who have lent their support to her in recent weeks. “She reached out to me — kind of apropos of nothing — and was like, ‘If you need anything, I am here,’ ” Zegler said. “She is so deeply kind. She has gone through so much in the public eye, and I have always really, really admired her courage in the face of all of that.”

In addition to Grande, whose big screen role as Glinda in Wicked put her in the spotlight for the last several months, Zegler also said that The Good Place star Jameela Jamil was “like a big sister to me” while she discussed her experiences working in Hollywood and racist fan backlash that erupted after Disney cast a Latina woman to portray the fairy tale’s title character.

Zegler also said Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu — whom she costarred with in 2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods — “have been my keepers in all of this, where I feel very held by them.”

Zegler, who shares the screen with Gal Gadot in Disney’s live-action adaptation of its animated 1937 classic, also spoke against the idea that women in Hollywood and entertainment should feel competitive against each other.

“All I’m ever really looking for in this business is a sister and they’re not always easy to find,” Zegler said. “We’re often told that other women have to be your competition and I don’t subscribe to that.”

The actress added that she believes in “championing your friends and championing your coworkers, whether you’re close with them or not.” 

“So the second that there’s any intimidation or competition, just put on ‘Girl, so confusing’ by Charli XCX and talk it out,” she said. “I’ve come to know that in the last couple of years, in search of female friendship in the industry, there is room for all of us no matter what anybody else will have you think.”

Snow White also stars Andrew Burnao, Ansu Kabia, Patrick Page, Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess, Martin Klebba, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Jeremy Swift and Andy Grotelueschen. The movie is in theaters Friday, March 21.