# Rachel Zegler
**Rachel Zegler** (born 2001) is an American actress and singer from [Hackensack, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/hackensack-new-jersey), who won the role of María in [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg)'s 2021 film adaptation of *[West Side Story](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-side-story-2021-film)* through an open casting call and has since worked across film, Broadway, and the West End. She is Colombian American on her mother's side; her grandmother came from Colombia in the 1960s.[1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621214416) • [2](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a37283325/rachel-zegler-west-side-story-interview/) • [3](https://time.com/6107408/west-side-story-latino-representation/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2001, Hackensack, New Jersey[1](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621214416) |
| Breakout role | María in Spielberg's *West Side Story* (2021), chosen from more than 30,000 applicants[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) |
| Major awards | Golden Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy; Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for *Evita*[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) |
| Broadway debut | Juliet in *Romeo + Juliet*, Circle in the Square Theatre, September 26, 2024 – February 16, 2025[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) |
| West End debut | Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd's *Evita*, London Palladium, summer 2025[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) |
| Other films | *The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes* (2023), *Shazam! Fury of the Gods* (2023), *Snow White* (2025)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10399505/fullcredits) |
## Casting for West Side Story
In January 2018, Spielberg posted an open casting call on social media for his new film adaptation of *West Side Story*, specifying a Latina actress between the ages of 15 and 25 for Maria.[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) • [6](https://parade.com/1303971/michelle-scheraga/rachel-zegler-ethnicity-age-instagram/) Zegler, then 16, submitted videos of herself singing "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty" ("Me Siento Hermosa" in the musical's Spanish version).[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) • [6](https://parade.com/1303971/michelle-scheraga/rachel-zegler-ethnicity-age-instagram/) A friend had sent her the notice with the note "Thank me when you're famous."[2](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a37283325/rachel-zegler-west-side-story-interview/)
**A year-long process.** The search ran through 2018, with several callbacks and screen tests and chemistry reads with co-star [Ansel Elgort](https://www.edgepedia.org/ansel-elgort); she was offered the part in January 2019.[6](https://parade.com/1303971/michelle-scheraga/rachel-zegler-ethnicity-age-instagram/) • [7](https://peopleenespanol.com/chica/rachel-zegler-dishes-west-side-story-snow-white-and-new-fame-life/) She had no professional representation and no film experience, but she was not new to the role itself: she had played Maria in a Performing Arts School presentation at the Bergen Performing Arts Centre.[8](https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/rachel-zegler-west-side-story-age-resume-ethnicity/) Spielberg's stated goal was authentic casting of the four leads, Maria, Tony, Anita, and Bernardo, with Latino and Latina actors, a response to criticism of the 1961 film, in which [Natalie Wood](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-wood), not of Hispanic descent, played Maria.[6](https://parade.com/1303971/michelle-scheraga/rachel-zegler-ethnicity-age-instagram/)
## Film career
*West Side Story* was released in December 2021 and earned praise from critics and audiences. Zegler won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, received a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination for Best Young Performer, and won a National Board of Review Award for Best Actress.[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) • [9](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/stars/rachel-zegler/profile/) In 2022 she said publicly that she had not initially been invited to the Oscars, where the film received seven nominations including Best Picture; after backlash, she was invited as a presenter.[10](https://time.com/6159180/oscars-invites-rachel-zegler/)
She followed the debut with a run of studio films: Anthea in *Shazam! Fury of the Gods* (2023), Lucy Gray Baird in *The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes* (2023), the lead in the A24 disaster comedy *Y2K* (2024), and the voice of Princess Ellian in the animated *[Spellbound](https://www.edgepedia.org/spellbound-2024-film)* (2024).[9](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/stars/rachel-zegler/profile/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10399505/fullcredits) In 2025 she starred as the title character in Disney's live-action *Snow White*, becoming the first Latina Snow White; the film became the most-watched title on Disney+ when it premiered on the platform.[7](https://peopleenespanol.com/chica/rachel-zegler-dishes-west-side-story-snow-white-and-new-fame-life/) • [4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/)
## Stage career
**Broadway.** Zegler made her Broadway debut as Juliet in *Romeo + Juliet* opposite [Kit Connor](https://www.edgepedia.org/kit-connor) at the Circle in the Square Theatre, directed by Sam Gold with music by [Jack Antonoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-antonoff). The production ran from September 26, 2024 through February 16, 2025.[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) Producers reported that it drew the youngest ticket-buying audience recorded on Broadway, with 14% of purchasers aged 18 to 24 against an industry average of 3%.[11](https://apnews.com/article/78df7182a7a3e9645fdc56a87a39c45e)
**West End.** In the summer of 2025 she made her West End debut as [Eva Perón](https://www.edgepedia.org/eva-peron) in [Jamie Lloyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-lloyd)'s revival of *Evita* at the [London Palladium](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-palladium). Her performances of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" on the theater's exterior balcony drew large street crowds nightly while audiences inside watched on screens.[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) • [12](https://apnews.com/article/f89e1fb7b563ab8d7df441154ccdf4c6) She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role.[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/)
The production transfers to Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre in 2027, with previews beginning in February and Zegler reprising the role.[4](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/) • [12](https://apnews.com/article/f89e1fb7b563ab8d7df441154ccdf4c6) In 2026 she also played Cathy in concert stagings of [Jason Robert Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-robert-brown)'s *The Last Five Years* opposite [Ben Platt](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-platt), at the London Palladium, Radio City Music Hall, and the [Hollywood Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-bowl).[13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10399505/otherworks/) • [14](https://www.msg.com/events-tickets/ben-platt-rachel-zegler-radio-city-music-hall-april-2026/3C00643EBCD32047)
## Representation and recognition
Zegler has spoken about Latino representation in film, saying "We need to be in the room" and describing herself as a white Latina whose relative palatability to audiences carries a responsibility to bring others in.[3](https://time.com/6107408/west-side-story-latino-representation/)
Her industry recognition includes Forbes' "30 Under 30," Time's Time100Next list, Variety's "Power of Young Hollywood Impact" list, and Elle's "Nine Latinx Women in Hollywood Currently Changing the World."[9](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/stars/rachel-zegler/profile/) Upcoming work includes the film *Last Dance*, directed by Karim Aïnouz, in which she plays Emma, daughter of a Broadway composer played by [Adrien Brody](https://www.edgepedia.org/adrien-brody), with Ben Platt co-starring and writing original music for her to perform.[15](https://playbill.com/article/rachel-zegler-adrien-brody-ben-platt-to-star-in-last-dance-film)
## References
1. [Rachel Zegler – Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621214416)
2. [West Side Story's Rachel Zegler on Reimagining the Classic Movie Musical, Town & Country](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a37283325/rachel-zegler-west-side-story-interview/)
3. ['We Need To Be in the Room.' West Side Story's Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose on Latino Representation in Film, Time](https://time.com/6107408/west-side-story-latino-representation/)
4. [From West Side Story to Evita: Look Back at Rachel Zegler's Career, Broadway Direct](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-west-side-story-to-evita-look-back-at-rachel-zeglers-career/)
5. [Rachel Zegler – Full credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10399505/fullcredits)
6. [Who Is Rachel Zegler? Her Age, Ethnicity, West Side Story Role And More, Parade](https://parade.com/1303971/michelle-scheraga/rachel-zegler-ethnicity-age-instagram/)
7. [Exclusive: Rachel Zegler on Her Roles in West Side Story, Snow White, People en Español](https://peopleenespanol.com/chica/rachel-zegler-dishes-west-side-story-snow-white-and-new-fame-life/)
8. [Who is Rachel Zegler? Meet the singer and actress playing Maria, Classic FM](https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/rachel-zegler-west-side-story-age-resume-ethnicity/)
9. [Rachel Zegler Biography, Broadway.com Buzz](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/stars/rachel-zegler/profile/)
10. [Rachel Zegler Said She Wasn't Initially Invited to the Oscars, Time](https://time.com/6159180/oscars-invites-rachel-zegler/)
11. [Broadway has found its Gen Z audience, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/78df7182a7a3e9645fdc56a87a39c45e)
12. [Rachel Zegler to take her 'Evita' to Broadway in spring 2027, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f89e1fb7b563ab8d7df441154ccdf4c6)
13. [Rachel Zegler – Other works, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10399505/otherworks/)
14. [Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler in The Last Five Years, Radio City Music Hall](https://www.msg.com/events-tickets/ben-platt-rachel-zegler-radio-city-music-hall-april-2026/3C00643EBCD32047)
15. [Rachel Zegler, Adrien Brody, Ben Platt to Star in Last Dance Film, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/rachel-zegler-adrien-brody-ben-platt-to-star-in-last-dance-film)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames X to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license