The Snow White actor, whose mother is Colombian-American, said ‘when I was in the running for María, they kept calling to ask if I was legit’

Rachel Zegler, star of the forthcoming Snow White, says she repeatedly had to “prove [her] identity” as a Colombian-American to “a bunch of white executives” during the casting process for her first high-profile film, West Side Story.

Zegler was speaking to Allure in the run-up to Snow White’s release, and discussed her “cultural identity” with writer Patricia Alfonso Tortolani. Zegler commented that “there’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name”, adding: “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? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her.”