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Rachel Zegler has said she faced a grilling over the legitimacy of her ethnicity by “white executives” when initially in the running play Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
The Latina actress, 23, who plays the titular Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake, says she was repeatedly asked to prove her Colombian heritage to land the female lead in Spielberg’s 2021 musical film.
“There's confusion because I don't have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” she explained in an interview with Allure.
“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.’”
While thankfully, it didn’t come to that, she admitted her bewilderment at “having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them”.
The Standard has contacted a representative for Amblin Entertainment for comment.
It’s not the only time that Zegler has faced these issues.
When her casting as Snow White was announced in 2021, critics claimed that she did not fit the traditional description of the character as “white as snow”.
But Zegler hit back at critics in a since-deleted social media post: “Yes I am Snow White no I am not bleaching my skin for the role.”
Zegler - who before finding fame in films, rose to prominence as a YouTuber - went on to tell Allure: “The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing.”
She added: “My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like.”
She is set to make her West End debut in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita this summer.
