Before Rachel Zegler became Disney’s live-action version of Snow White, she was Maria in 2021’s West Side Story. Starring in Steven Spielberg’s feature film was her Hollywood debut, but landing that role was met with some uncomfortable experiences. It turns out that her ethnicity was challenged during the audition process.
In an interview with Allure, Zegler shared her story about auditioning for the role of Maria. According to her, she felt like she had to “prove her identity” in front of white executives just because her name “didn’t have a single ounce of Latin.” In an old Twitter/X post from 2019, she revealed that she was named after Rachel from Friends.
“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name. When I was in the running for María in West Side Story, they kept calling to ask if I was legit. I remember thinking, Do you want me to bring my abuelita in? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her.”
Despite her ethnicity and culture being questioned in the past, she’s still proud of her heritage. While she was born and raised in New Jersey, her maternal family members are from Colombia, as her grandmother moved to the United States in the 1960s, according to an interview with TIME Magazine.
Rachel Zelger is a Rising Hollywood Star
Prior to her Hollywood debut, Zegler starred in several musicals when she was in high school. She then auditioned for the role of Maria after Speilberg posted an open casting call for West Side Story. Her debut led to a Golden Globe win in 2022 for Best Actress in a “Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.”
Following West Side Story, Zegler has starred in numerous projects, such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods as Anthea, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes as Lucy Gray Baird, A24’s Y2K, Netflix’s Spellbound, and recently, Disney’s Snow White. During her interview with Allure, Zegler revealed that she has surrounded herself with women who supported her ever since she entered stardom. She even revealed that Ariana Grande reached out to her, telling her she’s there when she needs her.
“She reached out to me—kind of apropos of nothing—and was like, ‘If you need anything, I am here.’ 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.”
It’s currently unknown what her next role will be following the Disney live-action feature.
West Side Story is available to stream on Disney+. Meanwhile, Snow White is set to enter theaters on March 21, 2025.
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