Rachel Zegler claimed that “white executives” requested her to show her Latin heritage through the casting course of for “West Side Story.”
The actress, whose newest function sees her star within the “Snow White” live-action remake, opened up about being repeatedly questioned over her identification forward of touchdown the half in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 movie.
“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” Zegler advised Attract on Tuesday.
“When I was in the running for Maria in West Side Story, they kept calling to ask if I was legit. I remember thinking, ‘Do you want me to bring my abuelita in? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her.’”
The 23-year-old mentioned she was stunned to see “a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them” earlier than she in the end secured the function — which launched her to stardom — in 2019.
The actress received a Golden Globe for Finest Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 2021 for her starring function.
Zegler, who hails from Hackensack, NJ, has Colombian and Polish roots. Her grandmother immigrated from Barranquilla, Colombia to the US within the Sixties, whereas her father, Craig, is of Polish descent.
“It’s an interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in,” she added. “But I love being Colombian.”
The actress admitted that her singing abilities in the end led her to land the titular function in “Snow White” in 2021.
“The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing,” she mentioned after being requested her ideas in regards to the response to a Latina scoring the function.
“My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like.”
Zegler added that “it’s so important for the next generation” to see “Snow White” and different movies prefer it that painting a battle of fine versus evil.
“To realize there’s nothing wrong with choosing to do what’s right and that it doesn’t have to be with anger or a clenched fist,” she mentioned within the interview.
“Anger can be a powerful emotion, but it doesn’t bring the brightest future. Snow White chooses kindness and still makes change. Power takes many forms. I hope we’ll see a new dawn of kindness and acceptance in the next couple of years. And people don’t see the need to use hate to cause further division.”
Zegler has been plagued with backlash following her criticism of the unique “Snow White” movie.
At Disney’s D23 Expo in 2022, Zegler advised “Extra,” “The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with the guy who literally stalks her. Weird, weird.”
She additionally mentioned to Selection on the time that Snow White was “not going to be saved by the prince” within the remake.
The movie additionally confronted mass boycotts after Zegler went on a social media rant towards those that voted for Donald Trump within the 2024 election.
