Rachel Zegler recalls being questioned about ethnicity

Rachel Zegler recalled in an interview how some studio executives kept asking her if she was a Latina during the casting process for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Zegler was eventually cast as the female lead in the movie, María.

“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” Zegler told Allure magazine.

The Snow White star recalled: “When I was in the running for María 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.”

Zegler added, “Having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them…It’s an interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in. But I love being Colombian.”

West Side Story went on to win Zegler the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a musical or a comedy. The film also poised her for her role in Snow White, with Spielberg even vouching for her.

“The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing,” Rachel Zegler noted of the Disney film. “My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like.”