Maria from «West Side Story»: the success story of a 17-year-old actress from New Jersey
27 march 2025 в 19:37
Originally from New Jersey, she was only 17 years old when she landed the role of Maria, beating out thousands of other contenders. «West Side Story» became Zegler’s debut film.
Spielberg began casting for the role of Maria in January 2018. Wanting to keep the film as «ethnically authentic» as possible, the open casting called for Latin American actors. Zegler responded to the call with a video of her singing «Tonight» and «Me Siento Hermosa» («I Feel Pretty»). Her performances stood out among 30,000 others, earning her the role of a star.
«I am so thrilled to play the iconic role of Maria alongside this amazing cast. West Side Story was the first musical I encountered where the lead character is a Latina», - Zegler said after her casting, according to Variety. «As a Colombian-American, I am grateful for the opportunity to play a role that means so much to the Spanish-speaking community».
Zegler stars alongside Ansel Elgort, who plays Tony. The cast also includes Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo, Mike Faist as Riff, and Rita Moreno as Valentina.
Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and raised in Clifton. She honed her acting skills by participating in theatrical productions at Immaculate Conception, a Catholic girls' high school. In June 2019, Zegler graduated from high school. Zegler started her own YouTube channel, which has over 300,000 subscribers and continues to grow.
Zegler entertains her growing fan base with covers of popular songs, vlogs, and other videos. Her cover of «Shallow» from «A Star is Born» went viral with nearly 4 million views. Then, when haters claimed it was done with autotune, Zegler posted an audio check on Twitter where she sang a few more lines from «Shallow».
Renowned Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for the original musical «West Side Story». Zegler was able to meet the composer, who passed away in November 2021, after being cast in Spielberg’s remake. «I lost my mind», - she told ELLE. «I just dropped to my knees next to him instinctively. He said, 'I heard you sing on YouTube. You’re like a nightingale.' And I was like, 'Shut up. No, absolutely not.'»
In addition to «West Side Story» and «Snow White», - Zegler also appeared in «Shazam: Fury of the Gods», - the sequel to the unexpected hit superhero film starring Zachary Levi. She also appeared in the prequel to «The Hunger Games», - «The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes», - and in the Netflix animated fantasy musical «Enchanted»
Spielberg began casting for the role of Maria in January 2018. Wanting to keep the film as «ethnically authentic» as possible, the open casting called for Latin American actors. Zegler responded to the call with a video of her singing «Tonight» and «Me Siento Hermosa» («I Feel Pretty»). Her performances stood out among 30,000 others, earning her the role of a star.
«I am so thrilled to play the iconic role of Maria alongside this amazing cast. West Side Story was the first musical I encountered where the lead character is a Latina», - Zegler said after her casting, according to Variety. «As a Colombian-American, I am grateful for the opportunity to play a role that means so much to the Spanish-speaking community».
Zegler stars alongside Ansel Elgort, who plays Tony. The cast also includes Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo, Mike Faist as Riff, and Rita Moreno as Valentina.
Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and raised in Clifton. She honed her acting skills by participating in theatrical productions at Immaculate Conception, a Catholic girls' high school. In June 2019, Zegler graduated from high school. Zegler started her own YouTube channel, which has over 300,000 subscribers and continues to grow.
Zegler entertains her growing fan base with covers of popular songs, vlogs, and other videos. Her cover of «Shallow» from «A Star is Born» went viral with nearly 4 million views. Then, when haters claimed it was done with autotune, Zegler posted an audio check on Twitter where she sang a few more lines from «Shallow».
Renowned Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for the original musical «West Side Story». Zegler was able to meet the composer, who passed away in November 2021, after being cast in Spielberg’s remake. «I lost my mind», - she told ELLE. «I just dropped to my knees next to him instinctively. He said, 'I heard you sing on YouTube. You’re like a nightingale.' And I was like, 'Shut up. No, absolutely not.'»
In addition to «West Side Story» and «Snow White», - Zegler also appeared in «Shazam: Fury of the Gods», - the sequel to the unexpected hit superhero film starring Zachary Levi. She also appeared in the prequel to «The Hunger Games», - «The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes», - and in the Netflix animated fantasy musical «Enchanted»
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
