Rachel Zegler Reveals ‘White Executives’ Asked Her to Prove Her Latina Identity for ‘West Side Story’ Role

Recently, Rachel Zegler talked candidly about the difficulties she had during her audition for the part of María in Steven Spielberg's ‘West Side Story’.  She revealed that despite her Polish and Colombian ancestry, studio execs frequently asked her if she was really Latina.

 Zegler revealed in an interview with Allure for their March cover story that the executives would often call to verify her history, voicing doubt because her last name didn't seem Latin.  She remembered being annoyed, even making a private joke about bringing her grandmother to the studio to show who she was.

According to Zegler, the experience of trying to prove her cultural identity in front of a group of white executives was complex and representative of larger problems that people of Latino heritage face in the modern world.  She did, however, take pride in her Colombian heritage.

Image Courtesy: Rachel Zegler/ Instagram

 In 2022, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her role as María in ‘West Side Story’, her first feature film.  She did not even receive an invitation to the Oscar festivities that year, though, so she was conspicuously absent.

Since being chosen to play ‘Snow White’ in Disney's next live-action production, Zegler has more recently been the target of criticism and racist remarks on the internet.  Her remarks regarding the original 1937 animated picture, such as referring to the tale as odd and characterizing Prince Charming as a stalker, caused controversy in addition to criticism for the casting itself.

 The release date of Disney's ‘Snow White’ is set for 21st March, 2025.

–Farheen Ali