Chances are, you hadn’t heard of Rachel Zegler before January 2019.
It’s clear that Zegler is just at the beginning of a massive career in entertainment.
So, how did an unknown Broadway geek from New Jersey become an international star overnight?
Here’s the stunning transformation of Rachel Zegler.
She grew up in Clifton, New Jersey with herolder sister Jacqueline(viaVogue).
Even as a young girl, Zegler was mesmerized by the allure of Broadway.
“I started loving musical theater at a very, very young age,” she said.
“I was 4 years old when I saw my first Broadway show.”
“I just loved it so much,” she recalled.
It sounds like musical theater has always been a huge part of Zegler’s life.
When Zegler began to post content on social media, she had to deal with racism and discrimination.
“I’ve been called it all,” she confessed.
Some online trolls even told her to “go back to where [she] came from.”
“I was born in Hackensack Hospital,” Zegler said.
“I’ll go back there.”
As she explained, the story is still relevant today and no one understands that better than her.
aren’t looking at the world around them."
“It was such a beautiful experience and a beautiful community,” she revealed.
It was during this production that Zegler began to realize she might be talented.
And then I started to take it a bit more seriously."
“I saw it as my path in,” she shared.
So, Zegler began taking voice lessons and auditioning for more and more local productions.
Throughout high school, she starred in multiple musicals.
Zegler was even nominated for the Metro Awards every year (viaThe Journal News).
I was the antithesis of [a] popular high-school student."
In fact, Zegler was almost too nervous to step foot on stage!
Over the years, however, she became more confident.
As she recalled, she “had some great auditions and some horrible auditions there.”
According toNorthJersey.com, more than 30,000 people auditioned for the part.
Ultimately, the part went to Zegler.
On January 9, 2019, Zegler was officially offered the role.
For Rachel Zegler, it was truly life-changing.
When she got the news, she was still in her final year of high school.
Her plan was to start university the following year.
Instead, Zegler was whisked off to New York City to start production of “West Side Story.”
While filming, Zegler lived in Chelsea in Manhattan.
“It wasn’t easy at all …
It was crazy.”
It turns out, the role itself was very close to Zegler’s heart.
Apparently, the production was so good, it convinced Zegler’s mother to send her to the school.
In terms of the character of Maria, Zegler feels an incredibly close connection to her.
“I feel like Maria is somebody I know really well,” she shared.
“I’m a young Latina growing up in the New York-New Jersey area.
She’s someone I hold very near and dear to my heart.”
As Zegler wrote onTwitterat the time, “This is the most special song I have ever written.”
She went into more detail in a 2021vlog.
However, until “Let Me Try,” she had been too nervous to release her own music.
However, she decided to let that anxiety go and she produced and released the tune by herself.
“I’m very proud of the song,” she added.
The “Shazam” sequel is part of the DC universe and also stars Zachary Levi.
In onevlog, she revealed that she’d had a hair and makeup test for the film.
We can’t wait to find out what her role in this film is.
For the young actress, the move was a huge change.
As she put it, “This is going to be a very new experience for me.”
It’s easy to see why Zegler was the perfect choice for the role.
As director Marc Webb toldVariety, “Rachel’s extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts.
Zegler was clearly thrilled to join the team.
She alsotweetedan excited message that read, “I HAVE MANIFESTED MY ENTIRE LIFE I THINK I THINK.”
But for Zegler, the stage still beckons.
Despite all of her success, Zegler still defines her success as acting on Broadway.
But it has to be the right thing now.”
But her ultimate dream, she explained, would be to originate a role on Broadway.
She met her boyfriend, fellow actor Josh Andres Rivera, on the set of the Steven Spielberg musical.
Rivera played Chino in the film, and Zegler seems more than smitten with her co-star-turned-beau.
Thank you for holding my hand in my dreams and in my reality.
I love doing life with you.
In October 2023, Zegler posted anInstagramtribute to Rivera in honor of their second anniversary.
“Happy anniversary, whammo,” she captioned a series of pics and a video of the pair.
“i love you more and more each day.
(you are the most grounded part of me.)”
Still, not everyone who can sing is cut out for voice acting, but Zegler certainly is.
Needless to say, Zegler’s beautiful voice is in good hands with the Skydance Animation film.
“The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so,” Zegler toldExtraTVin 2022.
“There’s a big focus on her love story?
With a guy who literally stalks her.”
Zegler later toldColliderthat her version of Snow White is a take-charge sort of princess.
Zegler tackling one so early in her career shows that she’s not just looking for commercial success.
As of this writing, a release date for “Y2K” has not been announced.
