TROLL ALERT

Rapunzel Rumor Sparks Racist Rants Against ‘Mean Girls’ Actress Avantika

A random tweet about a live-action version of “Tangled” triggered an inane backlash.

A mere rumor that actress Avantika would play Rapunzel in a Disney live-action production of Tangled sparked racist backlash on social media. The 19-year-old American-born daughter of Indian parents—who co-starred in the musical remake of Mean Girls—became the target of trolls on TikTok and Instagram after someone tweeted that she had screen-tested for the role. Disney has not announced such a production, and there is no confirmation that Avantika would be under consideration, but given the number of fans who came to her defense, it seems like she would be a crowd-pleaser. Avantika, who did star in the Disney Channel movie Spin, is hardly the first talent to face prejudice from wannabe casting directors: Halle Bailey went through the same thing when she played Ariel in live-action version of The Little Mermaid, as did Rachel Zegler for Snow White.