Rachel Zegler Says White ‘West Side Story’ Execs Questioned Whether She Was a ‘Legit’ Latina

Rachel Zegler said her ethnic background was put into question during the casting process for “West Side Story,” during which she says white executives repeatedly asked whether she was actually of Latin descent.

“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” the “Snow White” star said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. “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.”

Zegler, who stars as Snow White in the upcoming live-action adaptation for Disney, had her breakout role in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of “West Side Story.” The 23-year-old, New Jersey-born actress-singer comes from a mother who is of Columbian American descent and a father who is of Polish American descent.

While detailing her experience, she recalled how uncomfortable it was for her to have “a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them.” She mentioned that’s it’s an “interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in,” expressing that she loves “being Columbian.”

The original film adaptation of Broadway’s “West Side Story,” which premiered in 1961, faced criticism for its lack of authentic representation of Puerto Rican characters, as a white actress, Natalie Wood, starred as Maria.

During a 2021 interview with Time magazine, Zegler credited the “West Side Story” creative team for making an effort to authentically depict Latin culture.

“We need to be in the room. How many rooms do we walk into where they are supposed to be Latinx stories, not told in any capacity by Latinx people? We were so fortunate on ‘West Side Story’ to have a creative team that cared a lot about the authenticity of the story being told,” Zegler said at the time. “Our first couple weeks of rehearsal included panels with people who actually lived in San Juan Hill in Manhattan in 1957 and understood how the neighborhood changed and why things were getting knocked down and why the gangs were fighting over territory.”

She continued: “But that’s not the reality for a lot of Latinx stories being told in Hollywood, on Broadway. Being able to get our foot in the door actually starts with people who are not Latinx giving us the opportunity to do so, because they have the privilege in this industry, and I would even say that I have the privilege in this industry being a white Latina. I’m considered more palatable to audiences. This is a time for people to be using their privilege to bring in people who should be telling these authentic stories.”

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