Rachel Zegler says execs asked if she was 'legit' Latina in 'West Side Story' casting

Rachel Zegler has opened up astir the conflict to consciousness unafraid successful her Latina individuality erstwhile being formed successful her breakout relation arsenic Maria successful Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of the 1961 philharmonic movie “West Side Story.”

In a caller interrogation with Allure, the 23-year-old histrion shared that she was perpetually questioned astir her practice by workplace executives passim the process of securing her portion successful the Oscar-nominated film. Zegler was calved successful New Jersey to a Colombian American parent and Polish American father; her maternal grandma immigrated to the U.S. from Barranquilla successful the 1960s.

“There’s disorder due to the fact that I don’t person a azygous ounce of Latin successful my name,” Zegler said. “When I was successful the moving for María successful ‘West Side Story,’ they kept calling to inquire if I was legit. I retrieve thinking, ‘Do you privation maine to bring my abuelita in?’ I will. I’ll bring her into the workplace if you privation to conscionable her.”

Zegler noted that it was unusual to person “a clump of achromatic executives person you beryllium your individuality to them.”

But the acquisition ne'er shook the “Snow White” star’s pridefulness successful her heritage. “It’s an absorbing acquisition being portion of that diaspora successful the existent clime we unrecorded in,” she said. “But I emotion being Colombian.”

Speaking connected the “current climate,” Zegler took clip to basal up for DEI initiatives successful airy of caller actions successful Hollywood and passim different industries that person scaled backmost diverseness efforts.

“The world is, I was fixed a accidental due to the fact that I could sing,” Zegler said. “My lone supplication for the aboriginal of diverseness and inclusion is that we put successful and nurture endowment nary substance what they look like.”

From the infinitesimal she was formed successful 2021 arsenic “Snow White” successful the upcoming Disney live-action remake of the 1937 animated classic, Zegler was bombarded with hateful messages online astir however she was unfit to play Snow White owed to her being Latina.

Hours aft Disney’s casting announcement, Zegler seemingly addressed those who opposed the thought of a Latina Snow White, penning successful a since-deleted X post, “yes one americium snowfall achromatic nary one americium not bleaching my tegument for the role.”

The Golden Globe nominee besides received enactment not lone from her fans but from different Disney princess, Halle Bailey, who was likewise scrutinized for wearing her hairsbreadth successful locs portion playing Ariel successful the 2023 mentation of “The Little Mermaid.”

“we emotion you truthful overmuch ... genuinely the cleanable princess,” she wrote to Zegler successful 2023 connected X.

R&B fable Brandy, who played Cinderella successful 1997, echoed Bailey’s sentiment successful a connection published successful Variety past year.

“I grew up successful a location wherever that was Cinderella,” Zegler told Variety successful 2024 of Brandy’s portrayal of the housekeeper-turned-princess.

“A child’s caput is the astir astonishing thing, wherever it’s conscionable like, ‘OK, that’s Cinderella,’” Zegler said. “But the blond-haired, blue-eyed, blue-dress Cinderella from the 1950s cartoon is besides Cinderella. Also, Hilary Duff is Cinderella successful ‘A Cinderella Story.’”

Zegler’s casting arsenic the pb successful a large question representation comes astatine a clip erstwhile the prominence of actors and creators of colour successful palmy theatrical releases is sliding.

Actors of colour accounted for 25.2% of pb roles successful the apical theatrical films of 2024, down from 29.2% successful 2023, according to the astir caller UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report. The fig of films directed by radical of colour besides dropped successful 2024 compared with 2023. Directors of colour accounted for 20.2% of 2024 movies, down from 22.9% for the erstwhile year. People of colour relationship for astir 44% of the U.S. population.

The Times’ Company Town senior exertion Ryan Faughnder and reporting chap Malia Mendez contributed to this report.