Rachel Zegler

Rachel Anne Zegler (/ˈzɛɡlər/;[1] born May 3, 2001[2][3]) is an American actress and singer. She came to prominence with her film debut playing María in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of West Side Story (2021), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She then played Anthea in the superhero film Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).

Rachel Zegler
Zegler in 2019
Born
Rachel Anne Zegler

(2001-05-03) May 3, 2001
Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2015–present

Early life

Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey,[4] in 2001 to Gina and Craig Zegler.[5] She was named after the fictional character Rachel Green from the TV show Friends.[6] She has an older sister.[7] Her mother is of Colombian descent. Zegler's maternal grandmother immigrated from Colombia to the United States in the 1960s.[8] Her father is of Polish descent.[9][10]

Zegler was raised in Clifton, New Jersey, where she attended St. Philip the Apostle Preparatory School.[11] She then attended the Catholic all-girls college-preparatory Immaculate Conception High School.[11] She graduated from high school in 2019.[12]

Career

Zegler began her career starring in several musicals while attending the Immaculate Conception High School, including playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2016), Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2017),[13] Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (2018), and Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical (2019).[14][15] For all four performances, she received Metro Award nominations in the Actress in a Leading Role category.[14] Her other roles include Serena in Legally Blonde, Cosette in Les Misérables, and Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie.[16]

Zegler's YouTube channel has been active since July 2015[17] and has received attention.[18][19] As of 2022, Zegler's video of herself singing "Shallow", from A Star Is Born, has garnered over 12.2 million views on Twitter.[20][9]

In January 2018, director Steven Spielberg posted an open casting call via Twitter for a new film adaptation of West Side Story.[21] Zegler, then 16 years old, responded to the casting call tweets with videos of herself singing "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty"; she had performed the role at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in 2017.[22][9] Zegler was selected from over 30,000 applicants for the role of Maria, marking her film debut.[23] The film was released in December 2021,[24] and earned acclaim from critics and audiences.[25][26][27] For her performance, she received a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination for Best Young Performer and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical,[28][29] making her the first actress of Colombian descent to win in that category as well as the youngest winner in that category at 20 years old.[30]

Zegler starred as Anthea in the superhero film Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).[31]

Zegler is set to play Snow White, alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, in a live-action film adaptation of the 1937 animated Disney film, which is scheduled to be released in 2024.[32][33] Zegler is also cast to voice the lead character in animated musical film Spellbound, with Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow and Nathan Lane and directed by Vicky Jenson, which is also scheduled to be released in 2024 and will premiere on Netflix.[34][35] She plays heroine Lucy Gray Baird for the upcoming film adaptation of the Hunger Games prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.[36] Zegler is also set to appear in Kyle Mooney's directorial film debut Y2K produced by A24.[37]

In June 2023, Zegler joined the cast in Paddington in Peru, the third instalment of the Paddington film series with Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Olivia Colman, and Antonio Banderas.[38] However, in October 2023, it was announced that Zegler had backed out of the film to stand in solidarity with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Zegler will be replaced by newcomer Carlo Tous in the role of Gina Cabot.[39]

In the media

On September 27, 2021, Zegler was listed at number 34 on The Ringer's The Big Picture podcast's list of the top 35 actors under 35.[40] She is included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2022 list.[41] On December 14, 2021, AP Entertainment named Zegler as one of the Breakthrough Entertainers of 2021.[42] Zegler was part of the in memoriam segment of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in honour of Stephen Sondheim, alongside Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Leslie Odom Jr.[43]

On March 20, 2022, Zegler posted on Instagram that she had not been invited to attend the 94th Academy Awards ceremony to support her colleagues involved in West Side Story, which received seven nominations, including Best Picture. She wrote: "I have tried it all but it doesn't seem to be happening ... I will root for West Side Story from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did 3 years ago. I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate with our film in person."[44] Entertainment Weekly noted that the studios behind the nominated films determine the ticket allotments for those involved with the Best Picture nominees, with the exception of nominees for other categories and ceremony presenters.[45] Russ Tamblyn posted in response to Zegler's post: "As a voting member and the original Riff, let me say: it's your duty to find Rachel a seat at the Oscars ... When they say representation matters, this is what that means. Please do right by her."[46] The following day, the Academy invited her to be a presenter, and her shooting schedule for Disney's Snow White was reconfigured to allow Zegler to travel from London to Los Angeles to attend the ceremony.[47] Zegler with Jacob Elordi presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[48][49]

Filmography
Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2021 West Side Story María
2023 Shazam! Fury of the Gods Anthea
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes † Lucy Gray Baird Post-production
2024 Snow White † Snow White Post-production
Spellbound † Princess Ellian Voice role; Post-production
TBA Y2K † TBA Post-production

Discography

Soundtracks
Title Album details
West Side Story

Singles
Title Year Album
"Let Me Try"
2021
 Non-album single
"Balcony Scene (Tonight)"
(with Ansel Elgort)		 West Side Story
"The Hanging Tree"
2023
 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Other appearances
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Days From Long Ago" 2021 Alejandro Rodriguez, Anna Ebbeson, Shakina Nayfack, Solea Pfeiffer #IWriteMusicals: Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge
(2020 edition)
"Your World/Safe" Alexia Sielo, Anna Ebbeson, Anna Jacobs, Henry Crater, Jared Goldsmith, Jason Gotay, Nick Cartell
"Rey's Theme" None The George Lucas Talk Show Original Livestream Series Soundtrack Album On Vinyl
"Mile Away" 2023 George Watsky Intention

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2021
 Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Performer West Side Story Nominated [50]
Florida Film Critics Circle Pauline Kael Breakout Award Runner-up [51]
Indiana Film Journalists Association Breakout of the Year Nominated [52]
National Board of Review Best Actress Won [53]
North Texas Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [54]
Best Newcomer Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Youth Performance Nominated [55]
2022
 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated [56]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Young Actor/Actress Nominated [57]
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards Best Debut Performance Nominated [58]
Dorian Awards Rising Star of the Year Nominated [59]
Georgia Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [60]
Breakthrough Award Nominated
Gold Derby Film Awards Best Breakthrough Performer Nominated [61]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress (in a Comedy/Musical) Won [62]
Music City Film Critics Association Best Young Actress Nominated [63]
North Carolina Film Critics Association Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated [64]
Online Film and Television Association Best Breakout Performer (female) Nominated [65]

References
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  3. @rachelzegler (April 21, 2022). "turning 21 in less than 2 weeks and i still don't know what to do with my hands in photos or social situations" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
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