Steven Spielberg's epic re-imagining of the much-loved American musical West Side Story is finally in theaters—with actress Rachel Zegler taking on the iconic role of Maria.
Zegler will be stepping into the shoes of the late Natalie Wood, who played the role in the 1961 film adaptation, and Carol Lawrence, the actress who originated the role on Broadway back in 1957.
In addition to Zegler, the movie has a star-studded cast, including Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rita Moreno—who starred in the original 1961 film as Anita—in the new role Valentina.
Here's everything you need to know about West Side's Story's Rachel Zegler.
Who is Rachel Zegler?
Rachel Zegler is a 20-year-old American actress and singer from New Jersey.
She is also a well-known YouTuber and went viral after she uploaded a video of herself singing "Shallow," from A Star is Born to Twitter. As of December 2021, Zegler has 206,000 subscribers on the platform.
West Side Story is Zegler's biggest role to date, but she is no stranger to performing. During her time at high school, she participated in several musicals, including Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, 42nd Street, and Shrek the Musical, reports the Journal News. For her performance as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, she received a nomination in the Metropolitan High School Theater Awards.
Zegler has also starred as Serena in the Legally Blonde musical, Cosette in Les Misérables, and Mini in Rent.
In 2018, when she was just 16 years old, Zegler responded to Spielberg's open casting call on Twitter for a Latina actress who can sing and speak Spanish.
Zegler, who is Columbian-American, responded with videos of herself singing "Me siento hermosa / I Feel Pretty)," from the show's bilingual Broadway revival in 2009. She already knew the role quite well, having played Maria in 2017 at the Bergen Performing Arts Center.
Speaking to Town and Country, West Side Story casting director Cindy Tolan said: "When we got Rachel's self-tape, I don't really think I'd ever heard [Steven] Sondheim sung like that before.
"The technical skill, her emotional presence, her grace, and charm were just so unusual for someone who was 17 years old."
Announcing on Instagram that she had been cast in the role of Maria, Zegler wrote: "When I played Maria on stage a few summers ago, I never could have imagined that I'd be taking on the role again in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story.
"I send a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this incredible dream a reality— I never could've done it alone. I am so honored to join the legendary @TheRitaMoreno, @ansel, @arianadebose, @davidalvarezofficial, @joshandresrivera, and more in telling this impeccably poignant story."
She added: "As a Colombian-American woman growing up in this day and age, strong roles like Maria are so important. to be able to bring that role to life—a role that means so much to the Hispanic community—is so humbling. I hope you're all as excited as I am."
West Side Story may be Zegler's first big project, but it sure isn't her last.
She will appear in the 2023 film Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where she will star alongside Lucy Liu, Dame Helen Mirren, and Zachary Levi.
Zegler is also set to take on the role of Snow White in the upcoming live-action adaption of the iconic Disney film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Also starring in the movie is Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.
West Side Story is in movie theaters now.
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