Rachel Zegler claims white studio executives repeatedly questioned her Latina identity during her casting for Steven Spielberg‘s 2021 remake of West Side Story.

The scandal-plagued actress, 23, discussed her struggle to prove her heritage in a new interview with Allure, released on Tuesday.

‘There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,’ Zegler — who is currently engulfed in controversy amid the release of Disney’s ‘woke’ Snow White — shared. 

‘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.”‘

The star expressed her bewilderment at ‘having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them.’ 

Zegler hails from Hackensack, New Jersey. Her mother, Gina, is of Colombian descent. Her maternal grandmother immigrated from Barranquilla, Colombia, to the States in 1960s. Meanwhile her father, Craig Zegler, is of Polish descent. Rachel Zegler, 23, claims white studio executives repeatedly questioned her Latina identity during her casting for Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story; seen in March 

The scandal-plagued actress discussed her struggle to prove her heritage in a new interview with Allure, released on Tuesday; seen in a still from West Side Story

She went on to say that it’s an ‘interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in’ before adding, ‘But I love being Colombian.’ 

West Side Story proved to be her Hollywoord breakthrough. The role earned her a win at the Golden Globes for best actress in a musical or comedy film. 

Spielberg then personally recommended her to Snow White director Marc Webb.

Elsewhere in the interview, Zegler explained that her singing capabilities were the deciding factor in her being cast as Snow White, even though the Disney princess is not Latina in the original animated film. 

‘The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing,’ she shared. 

She went on to say, ‘My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like.’ 

‘That’s why it’s so important for the next generation to see movies like Snow White,’ she added.

‘To realize there’s nothing wrong with choosing to do what’s right and that it doesn’t have to be with anger or a clenched fist.’

‘Anger can be a powerful emotion, but it doesn’t bring the brightest future. Snow White chooses kindness and still makes change. Power takes many forms. I hope we’ll see a new dawn of kindness and acceptance in the next couple of years. And people don’t see the need to use hate to cause further division.’ 

‘There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,’ Zegler shared, as she expressed her bewilderment at ‘having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them’; seen in 2024 in NYC

‘When I was in the running for María 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?”‘; Zegler pictured March 12

Zegler hails from Hackensack, New Jersey. Her mother, Gina, is of Colombian descent. Her maternal grandmother immigrated from Barranquilla, Colombia, to the States in 1960s. Meanwhile her father, Craig Zegler, is of Polish descent; seen in 2024

Snow White has been plagued by controversy in the run-up to its release this Friday, partly because of Zegler’s politically charged comments.

When her casting was announced in 2021, it became a flashpoint of debate because she did not fit the traditional description of the character, ‘white as snow.’

In response to the negative reception, Rachel wrote in a since-deleted post: ‘yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role.’

Zegler was staunchly supported by the movie’s director Marc Webb, who insisted: ‘There are few people who are more dedicated Disney fans than Rachel.’

He added: ‘She’s been to the parks dozens, maybe scores, of times. She knows the Disney Princesses backward and forward. She even knew the Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus Disney videos I directed back in the day!’

Webb continued: ‘All that is to say, she understood the Disney tone I was after—a delicate blend of “fairy tale” with a few modern twists.’

‘She delivers the music and dancing with an unironic grace that harkens back to the original, while still feeling emotionally alive and real. It’s no easy feat.’

It was recently claimed that Zegler is ‘out of control’ and causing major headaches for Disney ahead of the movie’s release by an insider.

A source told Page Six the company ‘doesn’t know what to do’ with Zegler because of her repeated insistence on airing her progressive views.

West Side Story proved to be her Hollywoord breakthrough. The role earned her a win at the Golden Globes for best actress in a musical or comedy film; seen in a still with Ansel Elgort 

Spielberg then personally recommended her to Snow White director Marc Webb; pictured with Spielberg in 2021

While Zegler was put front-and-centre of the film’s European ‘premiere’, the leading lady wasn’t given the chance to speak to any global press – because they weren’t invited to the secret event.

She jetted off to a remote castle in Segovia, Spain, to perform for around 100 select ‘VIPs’ which included influencers and families, though the event raised eyebrows as she was the only star in attendance, with not even Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, present.

Disney are reportedly treading carefully with Zegler after she has made a series of bold comments panning the original 1937 classic for its ‘sexist’ traditional romance plot and ‘dated’ love story.

‘Disney’s lead actress is out of control,’ a source told Page Six. ‘They don’t know what to do.

‘She’s an outspoken 20-something and Disney chiefs have called her directly and asked her to tone down her posts. They’ve called her management, but she won’t listen.

‘It’s been this way the entire way through filming. But it’s the tying of her politics to Snow White that is upsetting.’

Last week, the movie had a ‘scaled back,’ sparsely attended Hollywood premiere instead of a bigger red carpet event, amid the mounting backlash.

A large scale premiere would have also taken place at Leicester Square in London, but an insider informed DailyMail.com earlier this month that a decision was made to not hold one for the upcoming movie.

‘Disney are already anticipating an anti-woke backlash against Snow White and have reduced the media schedule to just a handful of tightly controlled press events,’ the source stated.

Elsewhere in the interview, Zegler explained that her singing capabilities were the deciding factor in her being cast as Snow White, even though the Disney princess is not Latina in the original animated film; she is pictured in March

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It was recently claimed that Disney ‘doesn’t know what to do’ with Zegler because of her repeated insistence on airing her progressive views; pictured with co-star Gal Gadot and Marc E. Platt at the ‘scaled back’ Hollywood premiere on March 15

Disney are reportedly treading carefully with the star, after she has made a series of bold comments panning the original 1937 classic for its ‘sexist’ traditional romance plot and ‘dated’ love story; pictured in a still

Disney’s live-action Snow White is set to be released in theaters on March 21