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Rachel Zegler

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Rachel Zegler
Born (2001-05-03) May 3, 2001 (age 23)
Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • YouTuber
Years active2015–present

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, which is set to be released in theaters on December 18, 2020.[1][2]

Early life

Zegler was born on May 3, 2001 to Craig and Gina Zegler,[3] in Hackensack, New Jersey at the Hackensack University Medical Center. She has one older sister, Jacqueline.[4]

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 performed in the school's musicals all four years, starring as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2016), Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2017),[5] Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (2018), and Fiona in Shrek the Musical (2019).[6][7] For all four performances, she received Metro Award nominations in the Actress in a Leading Role category.[6] Her other roles have included Serena in Legally Blonde, Cosette in Les Miserables, Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Mimi in Rent.[8] She graduated from the high school on June 2, 2019.[9]

Career

In January 2018, director Stephen Spielberg posted an open casting call via Twitter for the film remake of West Side Story.[10] Zegler 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.[11] Zegler had already performed the role at the Bergen Performing Arts Center as a teenager.[12]

Zegler's YouTube channel has been active since July 2015[13] and has received attention.[14][15] Zegler's video of herself singing "Shallow", from A Star is Born, garnered over 8 million views on Twitter.[16] In January 2020, she signed with ICM Partners.[17]

References

  1. ^ Connellan, Shannon (January 14, 2019). "'West Side Story': Spielberg casts high-school 'theatre kid' as Maria". Mashable. Archived from the original on February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  2. ^ McNary, Dave (January 14, 2019). "'West Side Story' Remake Casts Newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria". Variety. Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  3. ^ "Ruth F. Cahill - Obituary". The Jersey Journal.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Metro Awards 2017 nominees list". The Journal News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  6. ^ a b 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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Immaculate Conception High School". Immaculate Conception High School. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Rachel Zegler". YouTube. Retrieved July 7, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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. Retrieved August 9, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  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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