Rachel Zegler

Rachel Zegler (born May 3, 2001) is an American singer, actress, and YouTuber. She plays the lead role of Maria in the upcoming film West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, scheduled to be released in theaters on December 10, 2021.[1]

Rachel Zegler
Born (2001-05-03) May 3, 2001
Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation
  • Singer
  • actress
  • YouTuber
Years active2015–present

Early life

Zegler was born on May 3, 2001,[2] in Hackensack, New Jersey at the Hackensack University Medical Center. Her mother is Gina Zegler, and she has an older sister, Jacqueline.[3]

Zegler was raised in Clifton, New Jersey, where she attended St. Philip the Apostle Preparatory School. She then attended Immaculate Conception High School, where she starred in the school's musicals all four years: as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2016), Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2017),[4] Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (2018), and Fiona in Shrek the Musical (2019).[5][6] For all four performances, she received Metro Award nominations in the Actress in a Leading Role category.[5] Her other roles have included Serena in Legally Blonde, Cosette in Les Miserables, Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Mimi in Rent.[7] She graduated from high school on June 2, 2019.[8]

Career

In January 2018, director Steven Spielberg posted an open casting call via Twitter for the film remake of West Side Story.[9] Zegler, then 16 years old, responded to the casting call tweets with videos of herself singing "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty". She was selected from over 30,000 applicants for the role of Maria.[10] Zegler had, "a few summers" previously, performed the role at the Bergen Performing Arts Center.[11]

Zegler's YouTube channel has been active since July 2015[12] and has received attention.[13][14] As of 2020, Zegler's video of herself singing "Shallow", from A Star is Born, has garnered over 11 million views on Twitter.[15][16] In January 2020, she signed with ICM Partners.[17]

References
  1. "'Black Widow,' 'West Side Story,' 'Eternals' Postpone Release Dates". Variety. September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  2. "@rachelzegler on Twitter: it is my birthday". Twitter. May 3, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. "Metro Awards 2017 nominees list". The Journal News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  5. Kramer, Peter D. (May 15, 2019). "Rachel Zegler to skip Metros, citing 'West Side Story' schedule, calls event 'too public'". The Journal News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  6. "Metro Awards: Harrison, Sleepy Hollow, Panas and Northern Valley lead 2019 nominees". The Journal News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  7. Santiago, Ellyn (January 15, 2019). "Rachel Zegler: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  8. "Immaculate Conception High School". Immaculate Conception High School. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  9. "Steven Spielberg Looks for Spanish-Speaking Actors for His 'West Side Story' Remake". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  10. McNary, Dave (January 14, 2019). "'West Side Story' Remake Casts Newcomer as Maria". Variety. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  11. "Who is Rachel Zegler? Meet the teenager playing Maria in the 'West Side Story' remake". Classic FM. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  12. "Rachel Zegler". YouTube. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  13. Schwartz, Dana (January 15, 2019). "8 examples of Rachel Zegler, 'West Side Story's new Maria, singing and sounding incredible". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  14. Russo, Gianluca (January 15, 2019). "You've Probably Seen New "West Side Story" Star Rachel Zegler Before — Thanks to a Lady Gaga Cover". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  15. Zegler, Rachel. "Someone: you use autotune...", Twitter, December 14, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2020
  16. "Who is Rachel Zegler? Meet the teenager playing Maria in the 'West Side Story' remake". Classic FM. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  17. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 14, 2020). "'West Side Story' Star Rachel Zegler Signs With ICM Partners". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
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