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Rachel Zegler recently shared a candid experience from her West Side Story casting process in an interview with Allure, revealing that white studio executives questioned her Latina heritage due to the lack of Latin elements in her name. Born to a Colombian American mother and a Polish American father, Zegler found herself having to repeatedly prove her identity despite Spielberg’s clear commitment to casting a Latina actor for the role of María.
Zegler recounted that executives kept calling to confirm if she was genuinely Latina, which led her to jokingly offer to bring her grandmother to the studio to prove it. She described the experience of having white executives question her heritage as an “interesting” challenge, reflecting the complexities of being part of a diaspora in the current climate. Despite this, she proudly embraces her Colombian roots.
Spielberg remained confident in her casting after being impressed with her audition tape, where she performed both Tonight and Me Siento Hermosa. Her performance in West Side Story earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy and helped catapult her into Hollywood, alongside her co-star Ariana DeBose, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
The success of West Side Story also led to her being cast as the lead in Disney’s Snow White, a role for which Spielberg recommended her to director Marc Webb. Zegler recalled receiving a text from Spielberg, filled with apple emojis, after she wished him a happy Father’s Day, hinting at his endorsement for her role in the live-action Snow White.