When news of a live-action Legend of Zelda adaption first broke people were skeptical. In fact many still are, after all, how can you realistically adapt a world like Hyrule with its weird and wonderful characters without losing the essence of what truly makes the games special? Finding the right cast would be tough but fans think Hunter Schafer, who is being eyed for the role of Princess Zelda may be a perfect fit.
Hunter Schafer being Princess Zelda in the Legend of Zelda movie is just peak casting pic.twitter.com/Ap9MG0Y1vr
— Editor ColeTrainHere(@ColeTrainHere) May 30, 2025
There’s simply no denying the fact that Schafer is a dead ringer for the princess. You’d be hard-pressed to find an actress with more Zelda-like features. Looking at the two side by side it’s easy to see why many think she’s perfect for the role.
Ignore the transphobes. Hunter Schafer IS Princess Zelda.
— Eric #SavePBS
She was born for the role.
She. Is. Perfect. pic.twitter.com/KSq8aB0azD(@PropaneMan92) May 30, 2025
Not everyone agrees with the potential Hunter Schafer casting
Despite the casting seemingly being as close to perfect as we could possibly get, not everyone was happy with it. Predictably the bigots and alt-right transphobes have come out of the woodwork to criticize the casting purely because Schafer is trans.
Usually these people will try to hide behind some other lousy excuse to criticize an actor or actress. For a recent example just look at the response to Bella Ramsey’s portrayal of Ellie in The Last of Us, there’s no question they can act the part, but a vocal minority of immature people (the same kind of people that complain about ”too much woke” in Hollywood) have gone after her for not looking enough like the character.
They claim to only be upset over the changes to the source material but in reality it seems more like an excuse to justify bashing the lead actor who happens to be non-binary.
Outright transphobia
In Schafer’s case there’s really no excuse, the people who disagree with her casting are just outright transphobes. Unfortunately there has been a rise in transphobia in online spaces and in society as a whole thanks to a general shift towards right wing values in the U.S. However, most people would love to see her play Zelda because she embodies the character so well.
society if hunter schafer gets cast as Princess Zelda https://t.co/uOwGIFUWD2 pic.twitter.com/GFpku2OdVA
— leila(@leilaxo_) May 29, 2025
Others have put forward Sydney Sweeney as an alternative which, as a Zelda fan I have to say, I really don’t see it.
Been getting death threats over this but now the Republican men are using Sydney to push an anti trans agenda against hunter Schafer as Zelda, I told yall !!! pic.twitter.com/zpkGJJglUw
— kenzie (@pk_kenzie) May 31, 2025
Some have also raised doubts as to whether these people are even fans of the games. Do they really care about the live-action Legend of Zelda movie? Or are they just trying to shove their opinions down other people’s throats?
Right now we don’t even know if Hunter Schafer is genuinely being considered for the role or not, it’s just a rumor, but it does make sense on many levels. Most Zelda fans can see this and most sensible people could not care less that she is trans. As always it’s just a vocal minority making a bunch of noise and spreading hatred.
