Rachel Zegler Biography
Rachel Zegler is an American singer and actress of Colombian descent who shot to fame playing Maria Vasquez in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" (2021). She made history as the youngest Golden Globe winner ever and earned recognition from the National Society of Film Critics USA as best young actress.In 2023, she played the lead role in "The Hunger Games" prequel, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," while the internet buzzed about her casting as Snow White in Disney's upcoming live-action remake of the 1937 classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
Childhood, Youth, Family
Rachel Anne Zegler was born in spring 2001 to parents Gina and Craig Zegler in the small town of Hackensack, New Jersey. Her father's side of the family is Polish Jewish, while her mother's family hails from Colombia. Rachel grew up with her older sister Jacqueline, who she's always looked up to.
Beyond her natural beauty, Rachel was blessed with perfect pitch, an expressive voice, and a creative mind. While her classmates gravitated toward piano or cello, Zegler picked up the saxophone. At school, she landed leading roles in musicals, playing Ariel in "The Little Mermaid," Princess Fiona in "Shrek," and Belle in "Beauty and the Beast."
Acting Career
This newfound confidence led her to submit a video of herself singing "I Feel Pretty" for an online casting call announced by Steven Spielberg. The legendary director was planning his own take on the beloved musical "West Side Story." To find his Romeo and Juliet (Tony and Maria), Spielberg was ready to sift through tens of thousands of audition tapes, explaining:Spielberg's "West Side Story" reimagining tells a story of love set against the brutal rivalry between New York's warring gangs - the Jets and the Sharks. Each gang believes they're in the right, and their conflicts turn deadly. The role of the young Jet, Tony, was given to Ansel Elgort, while the search for their Maria stretched on for over a year.We needed to find our own sound. On the one hand, the film had to stay the same, but on the other, it had to be noticeably different. We didn't want to fix what wasn't broken, yet we wanted to justify why we're telling this story again. This partly concerns the cast. I wanted to hold authentic casting, so that the actors playing the boys and girls from the Sharks gang were one hundred percent young Latin Americans.
Her role in "West Side Story" catapulted the rising star to unprecedented success, earning her first major award - the kind many Hollywood veterans wait years to receive. Zegler snagged the Golden Globe for "Best Actress - Musical or Comedy," then signed with powerhouse talent agency ICM Partners.I kept waiting and waiting, and honestly started losing hope. Then they called and asked me to come back for another audition. I did a scene with Ansel. It felt like hanging out with old friends. We spent the entire day with Steven and Ansel. The atmosphere was incredibly calm and relaxed. Then they asked Ansel to step out and called my mom in, which felt weird to me. Everyone formed this semicircle, and Steven walked over and said he wanted to tell me that I'd gotten the role of Maria. I remember screaming something totally inappropriate, and then we all hugged. That's when the real work began.
Her next role was even bigger. To prepare for the leading role in Francis Lawrence's 2023 adventure film "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", Zegler carefully studied all the original films to master Jennifer Lawrence's gestures as Katniss. Her portrayal of Lucy Gray Baird was spot on.
I really enjoyed being Lucy Gray. I think she has similarities with Katniss, and the pleasure from this role only increases. Watch the original trilogy and see how Lucy Gray continues to haunt Snow even in his old age, he sees her echoes in Katniss Everdeen., the actress shared after filming. Zegler also starred in the action comedy "Shazam! Fury of the Gods", where she played the daughter of Atlantis and sister of Hespera. The main character in the film was portrayed by Zachary Levi.
I really didn't know what I was auditioning for. I just knew it was an unnamed Disney project. And I met him for the first time. I had disguised pages, there were no character names, and in fact they told little about the plot.
Personal Life of Rachel Zegler
The rising star is constantly in demand by fans, especially after the massive success of "West Side Story". She keeps her personal interests private and focuses most of her time on developing her acting career.Rumors swirled about a romance with co-star Ansel Elgort, but he was already dating ballerina Violetta Komyshan at the time.
Rachel Zegler Now
Despite the backlash, Rachel has begun work on Snow White. The premiere of the film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is scheduled for 2025. Israeli actress Gal Gadot will play the Evil Queen.Zegler also has another project ahead, launched by the company "A 24" - the comedy "Y2K".
Interesting Facts
- During her school years, Rachel Zegler looked up to Rita Moreno, Bob Dylan, Ariana Grande, and Lady Gaga. Her cover of "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born" racked up over twelve million views on her YouTube channel.
- After the release of "West Side Story," Rachel Zegler became an ambassador for the Dior brand.
- In an interview, Zegler revealed that her "Snow White" film will refer to the seven dwarfs as "magical beings" to avoid any offense. The plot will center on Snow White's independence—she won't wait around for a prince but will become a strong leader herself. Zegler also said the filmmakers are ditching the "weird" romance: "The original cartoon came out in 1937, and there was all this focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalked her. That's weird. So we're not doing that this time," Rachel explained.
