Rachel Zegler

Summary

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

Rachel Zegler
Zegler in 2023
Born (2001-05-03) May 3, 2001 (age 22)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2015–present

Early life edit

Rachel Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey,[3] in 2001 to Gina and Craig Zegler.[4] She was named after the fictional character Rachel Green from the TV series Friends.[5] She has an older sister named Jacklyn.[6] Her mother is of Colombian descent. Her maternal grandmother immigrated from Barranquilla, Colombia to the United States in the 1960s.[7] Her father is of Polish descent.[8][9]

She was raised in Clifton, New Jersey, where she attended St. Philip the Apostle Preparatory School.[10] Afterwards, she attended the Catholic all-girls college-preparatory Immaculate Conception High School, which she graduated from in 2019.[11]

Career edit

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),[12] Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (2018), and Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical (2019).[13][14] For all four performances, she received Metro Award nominations in the Actress in a Leading Role category.[13] Her other roles include Serena in Legally Blonde, Cosette in Les Misérables, and Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie.[15]

Her YouTube channel has been active since July 2015[16] which garnered media coverage and positive critical reception.[17][18] As of 2022, her video of herself singing "Shallow", from A Star Is Born, has garnered over 12.2 million views on Twitter.[19][8]

In January 2018, director Steven Spielberg posted an open casting call via Twitter for a new film adaptation of West Side Story.[20] 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.[21][8] She was selected from over 30,000 applicants for the role of Maria, marking her film debut.[22] The film was released in December 2021,[23] and earned acclaim from critics and audiences.[24][25][26] 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,[27][28] 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.[29]

She starred as Anthea in the superhero film Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).[30] She played protagonist Lucy Gray Baird in the 2023 film adaptation of the Hunger Games prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.[31]

She was cast in Kyle Mooney's directorial debut film Y2K produced by A24,[32] production on which had begun by April 2023.[33]

She will voice the lead character in the animated musical film Spellbound, directed by Vicky Jenson, which is scheduled to be released in 2024 and will premiere on Netflix.[34][35]

She has been cast as the titular character in Snow White, a live-action adaptation the 1937 animated Disney film, scheduled to be released in 2025.[36][37]

In the media edit

In 2021, Zegler was listed at number 34 on The Ringer's The Big Picture podcast's list of the top 35 actors under 35.[38] She is included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2022 list.[39] Also in 2021, AP Entertainment named her as one of the Breakthrough Entertainers of 2021.[40] She 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.[41]

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.[42] After some controversy over the perceived snub in the media,[43] the Academy invited her to be a presenter[44] for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.[45][46]

Personal life edit

In February 2021, Zegler and actor Josh Andrés Rivera confirmed that they were dating. The two had met on the set of West Side Story.[47]

Filmography edit

List of Rachel Zegler film credits
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
2024 Y2K Laura
Spellbound Princess Ellian Voice role; post-production
2025 Snow White Snow White Post-production
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

Discography edit

Soundtracks edit

List of soundtracks, with selected details
Title Album details
West Side Story
  • Release date: December 3, 2021
  • Label: Hollywood
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
  • Release date: November 17, 2023
  • Label: Geffen

Singles edit

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NZ
Hot

[48]
"Let Me Try" 2021 Non-album single
"Balcony Scene (Tonight)"
(with Ansel Elgort)
West Side Story
"The Hanging Tree" 2023 19 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
"The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird" 12

Other charted songs edit

List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NZ
Hot

[48]
"Nothing You Can Take from Me" (Boot-Stompin' Version)
(with the Covey Band)
2023 13 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
"Pure as the Driven Snow"
(with the Covey Band)
22

Other appearances edit

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 edit

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2021
Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Performer West Side Story Nominated [49]
Florida Film Critics Circle Pauline Kael Breakout Award Runner-up [50]
Indiana Film Journalists Association Breakout of the Year Nominated [51]
National Board of Review Best Actress Won [52]
North Texas Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [53]
Best Newcomer Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Youth Performance Nominated [54]
2022
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated [55]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Young Actor/Actress Nominated [56]
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards Best Debut Performance Nominated [57]
Dorian Awards Rising Star of the Year Nominated [58]
Georgia Film Critics Association Best Actress Nominated [59]
Breakthrough Award Nominated
Gold Derby Film Awards Best Breakthrough Performer Nominated [60]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical Won [61]
Music City Film Critics Association Best Young Actress Nominated [62]
North Carolina Film Critics Association Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated [63]
Online Film and Television Association Best Breakout Performer (female) Nominated [64]
2024 People's Choice Awards Action Movie Star of the Year The Hunger Games:
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Won [65]
Female Movie Star of the Year Nominated

References edit

  1. ^ finally addressing it. Rachel Zegler. February 26, 2021. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021 – via YouTube.
  2. ^
    • @rachelzegler (May 3, 2020). "it is my birthday" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
    • @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.
  3. ^ Kramer, Peter D. "Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' Maria on stage in Lodi this weekend". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2022. I was born in Hackensack Hospital.
  4. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (December 10, 2021). "Rachel Zegler almost didn't audition for 'West Side Story.' the new Maria on the role that changed her life". NJ.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  5. ^ @rachelzegler (November 5, 2019). "#9 – rachel green from friends, the fictional character after whom i was named!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ Kramer, Peter D. (April 11, 2019). "Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' Maria on stage in Lodi this weekend". North Jersey Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "'We Need To Be in the Room.' West Side Story's Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose on Latino Representation in Film". Time. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Who is Rachel Zegler? Meet the teenager playing María Vasquez in the 'West Side Story' remake". Classic FM. June 17, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (January 14, 2019). "'West Side Story' Remake Casts Newcomer as Maria". Variety. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2021. As a Colombian-American, I am humbled by the opportunity to play a role that means so much to the Hispanic community
  10. ^ Katz, Maggie (May 20, 2016). "Clifton students nominated for acting award". northjersey.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023. City residents Amanda Leger and Rachel Zegler both attend Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi and are alumni of St. Philip the Apostle Preparatory School on Valley Road.
  11. ^ "Immaculate Conception High School". Immaculate Conception High School. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
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  35. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (June 12, 2023). "Tituss Burgess Joins Voice Cast of Apple and Skydance Animation's 'Spellbound'; New Image Revealed (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
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External links edit