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Playing María in Steven Spielberg's musical adaptation of West Side Story (2021), Anthea in Shazam Fury of the Gods (2023), and Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023).
Bio Dates and Places
Born Date: May 3, 2001.
Born Place: Hackensack, New Jersey, United States.
Career
Current occupation: Actress and Singer.
Past occupations: High school musical performer.
Previous Place of Work: Immaculate Conception High School (for school musicals).
Achievements and Recognition
Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for West Side Story (2021), Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2022.
Education
Immaculate Conception High School, graduated in 2019.
Skills
Singing, Acting.
Relationships
Current Romantic Relationship: Josh Andrés Rivera (confirmed in February 2021).
Family
Parents: Gina Zegler (mother of Colombian descent) and Craig Zegler (father of Polish descent).
Siblings: Jacklyn (older sister).
Main Milestones
Birth
May 3, 2001
Rachel Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, to Gina and Craig Zegler. Her mother is of Colombian descent, and her father is of Polish descent. This diverse background would later influence her career choices and experiences.
First Broadway Show
Age 4
Zegler saw her first Broadway show, "Beauty and the Beast", at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. This experience sparked her love for theater and set her on the path to becoming an actress.
First Acting Role
Age 12
Zegler played Shprintze in a play of "Fiddler on the Roof". This role marked the beginning of her acting career, leading her to take voice and acting lessons.
YouTube Channel
2015
Zegler started her YouTube channel, where she posted videos of herself singing. Her cover of Lady Gaga's song "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born" gained significant attention and positive critical reception.
Casting Call for West Side Story
2018
Director Steven Spielberg posted an open casting call for a new film adaptation of "West Side Story". Zegler, then 16, responded with videos of herself singing "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty". She was selected from over 30,000 applicants for the role of Maria.
Film Debut in West Side Story
2021
Zegler made her film debut in Steven Spielberg's musical adaptation of "West Side Story", playing the role of Maria. Her performance earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, making her the first actress of Colombian descent to win in that category and the youngest winner at 20 years old.
Roles in Shazam Fury of the Gods and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
2023
Zegler played Anthea in "Shazam Fury of the Gods" and Lucy Gray Baird in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes". Her performance in "The Hunger Games" prequel received positive reviews, with David Ehrlich of "IndieWire" praising her "captivating" and nuanced performance.
Broadway Debut in Romeo + Juliet
2024
Zegler made her Broadway debut playing Juliet in a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet", directed by Sam Gold with music by Jack Antonoff. This marked a significant milestone in her career, fulfilling a dream she had since she was 4 years old.
Release of Y2K and Spellbound
2024
Zegler appeared in Kyle Mooney's directorial debut film "Y2K" and voiced the lead character in the animated musical film "Spellbound", directed by Vicky Jenson.
Upcoming Role in Snow White
2025
Zegler is set to play the titular character in "Snow White", a live-action adaptation of the 1937 animated Disney film, scheduled to be released in 2025.
Zegler grew up in Clifton, New Jersey.[11] She says she faced racial discrimination on social media during her childhood due to her mixed ethnicity.[3] Zegler became a fan of the theater after seeing her first Broadway show, Beauty and the Beast, at age four.[3] Her first acting role came when she was 12, when she played Shprintze in a play of Fiddler on the Roof. She then decided she wanted to be an actress, and began taking voice and acting lessons.[3]
In January 2018, director Steven Spielberg posted an open casting call via Twitter for a new film adaptation of West Side Story.[18] Zegler, then 16 years old, responded with videos of herself singing "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty"; she had performed the role of Maria at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in 2017.[19][10] She was selected from more than 30,000 applicants for the role, marking her film debut.[20] The film was released in December 2021,[21] and earned acclaim from critics and audiences.[22][23][24]
Zegler starred as Anthea in the superhero film Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).[28] The film received mixed reviews.[29] She played protagonist Lucy Gray Baird in the 2023 film adaptation of the Hunger Games prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.[30] The film received mixed to positive reception.[31] David Ehrlich of IndieWire praised Zegler, writing, "[She] is absolutely captivating in a Wild Rose-coded performance that's equal part Southern pluck and wide-eyed terror... it is a marvel of multiplex acting. ... Zegler knows how to play nuance big enough for the back of the room to read it all over her face".[32]
In 2023, Zegler announced her exit from Paddington in Peru, attributing her departure to the SAG strike.[33][34] She played Laura in the film Y2K,[35] which debuted at the South by Southwest Festival in 2024 and was released on December 6 that year to a mixed reception.[36]
In January 2022, Zegler garnered online backlash for a since-deleted video in which she gave a dramatic reading of Britney Spears's Twitter messages online to her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears. She later issued an apology on the platform, explaining: "While I meant no disrespect whatsoever, I should have thought about how this could be perceived, and I'm so sorry for upsetting or disappointing anyone. This is not a situation to be taken lightly, and we should all be lifting Britney up in this pivotal time."[50]
She was initially not invited to attend the 94th Academy Awards ceremony of 2022 to support her colleagues involved in West Side Story, which received seven nominations, including Best Picture.[51] After some controversy over the perceived snub in the media,[52] the Academy invited her to be a presenter[53] for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[54][55]
Zegler considers Barbra Streisand to be one of her primary influences.[58] In 2021, Streisand sent Zegler a copy of her album Release Me 2 and a copy of the book Streisand From A to Z, along with a note reading, "For R., from B."[59][60]
Zegler is open about her struggles with anxiety and attends psychiatric sessions.[61]
Zegler has spoken out against colorism regarding the Latino community. In 2022, she stated, "I'm a white Latina. I don't get stopped on the street for the way that I look. That's my privilege, but when I speak Spanish on the subway, I've been spit on. I've been told to go back to where I came from, even when I was born in suburban New Jersey."[62]
She has publicly supported Palestine in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict since 2021. In October 2023, Zegler joined Artists4Ceasefire and signed a letter urging Joe Biden to facilitate a ceasefire to end Israel's bombardment of Gaza. In January 2024, she encouraged her followers on Instagram to pressure government leaders for a ceasefire. In August 2024, she tweeted, and always remember, Free Palestine.[63][64]Snow White producer Marc Platt voiced concerns about Zegler's co-star Gal Gadot – a former IDF soldier and a vocal supporter of Israel – receiving death threats, which they attributed to Zegler's post. This led Disney to provide additional security for Gadot.[65][66] After the film's release, Platt's son Jonah partially blamed its box office underperformance on Zegler's public remarks, confirming that his father had flown to New York to reprimand Zegler for her remarks.[67][68]
In November 2024, Zegler criticized Donald Trump and his supporters, claiming there is a "deep, deep sickness" in the United States and accusing Trump of threaten[ing] our democracy.[69] She also wrote, May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.[70] She later apologized for contribut[ing] to the negative discourse.[70]
This is a community hub built on top of the Rachel Zegler Wikipedia article. Here, you can discuss, collect, and organize anything related to Rachel Zegler. The purpose of the hub is to connect people, foster deeper knowledge, and help improve the root Wikipedia article.
This is a community hub built on top of the Rachel Zegler Wikipedia article. Here, you can discuss, collect, and organize anything related to Rachel Zegler. The purpose of the hub is to connect people, foster deeper knowledge, and help improve the root Wikipedia article.
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