Rachel Zegler hit back at a “bunch of white executives” who allegedly questioned her Latina heritage when she auditioned for a role in “West Side Story.”
“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” the New Jersey-born actress — whose mother and father are of Colombian and Polish descent, respectively — told Allure for her March 2025 cover story published Tuesday.
“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 [grandmother] in? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her,’” she added.
Zegler, 23, said she was puzzled at the idea of “having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them.”
She added, “It’s an interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in. But I love being Colombian.”
In June 2021, Disney announced Zegler would star as Snow White in a live-action remake of its 1937 animated film.
At the time, director Marc Webb told Deadline he was impressed with the rising star’s “extraordinary vocal abilities” as well as “her strength, intelligence and optimism.”
The casting made headlines six months before the release of “West Side Story,” which earned Zegler a Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy film in 2022.
The “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” star got a glowing letter of recommendation from “West Side Story” director Steven Spielberg, and Disney execs ultimately backtracked and agreed she was the right fit for the role of Snow White when she sang “Waiting on a Wish” and performed other scenes.
“They saw something. Something they could invest in for the future,” she told Allure.
“The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing. My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like.”
“Snow White” hits theaters Friday.
