Steven Spielberg has found his Maria, and it’s a 17-year-old girl from New Jersey.
Rachel Zegler, of Clifton, was announced Monday as the new star of Spielberg’s highly anticipated “West Side Story” reboot, which plans to revamp the classic 1957 Broadway musical and 1961 film.
According to Deadline, Zegler was selected from an audition pool of more than 30,000 actors from across the globe. Shooting for the film reportedly begins this summer, though no release date has been set.
Zegler took to social media to express her gratitude in the selection, which will place her alongside “Baby Driver” star Ansel Algort, who is set to play her star-crossed love interest, Tony.
“When I played Maria on stage a few summers ago, I never could have imagined that i’d be taking on the role again in Steven Spielberg’s "West Side Story,” Zegler wrote on Instagram (she is bottom-right in the photo). “I send a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this incredible dream a reality— i never could’ve done it alone. i am so honored to join the legendary ... As a Colombian-American woman growing up in this day and age, strong roles like Maria are so important. To be able to bring that role to life— a role that means so much to the hispanic community— is so humbling. i hope you’re all as excited as i am.”
Zegler first played Maria in a Performing Arts School presentation of “West Side Story” at BergenPAC in Englewood in 2017. She was nominated in 2016 for a Metropolitan High School Theater Award for her role in “Beauty And The Beast” at Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, NorthJersey.com reports.
She submitted videos of her singing “Tonight” and “Me Siento Hermosa” (“I Feel Pretty”) as part of her “West Side” audition, Deadline says.
Deadline writes that Spielberg’s team search far and wide to find the best actors within the Puerto Rican and Latinx community, and spoke to Hispanic heritage and advocacy groups while looking for the right fit.
Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the original film, will reportedly appear in Spielberg’s version as Valentina, a revamped version of the character of Doc (owner of the store where Tony works). The screenplay is being written by “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner, with whom Spielberg previously collaborated on “Lincoln.”
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.