Snow White star Rachel Zegler hits back at ‘white executives’ who questioned her Latina heritage

A Golden Globe winner has hit back at a “bunch of white executives” who questioned her after she was cast in a hit movie.

Rachel Zegler hit back at a “bunch of white executives” who allegedly questioned her Latina heritage when she auditioned for a role in West Side Story.

“There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” the New Jersey-born actress – whose mother and father are of Colombian and Polish descent, respectively – told Allure for her March 2025 cover story published Tuesday.

“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 [grandmother] in? I will. I’ll bring her into the studio if you want to meet her,’” she added.

Rachel Zegler hit back at a “bunch of white executives” who allegedly questioned her Latina heritage. Picture: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Zegler, 23, said she was puzzled at the idea of “having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them.”

She added, “It’s an interesting experience being part of that diaspora in the current climate we live in. But I love being Colombian.”

In June 2021, Disney announced Zegler would star as Snow White in a live-action remake of its 1937 animated film.

The actress said her heritage was questioned when she was cast in the 2021 film West Side Story. Picture: 20th Century Studios

At the time, director Marc Webb told Deadline he was impressed with the rising star’s “extraordinary vocal abilities” as well as “her strength, intelligence and optimism.”

The casting made headlines six months before the release of West Side Story, which earned Zegler a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 2022.

Zegler with Snow White co-star Andrew Burnap. Picture: Disney via AP

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star got a glowing letter of recommendation from West Side Story director Steven Spielberg, and Disney execs ultimately backtracked and agreed she was the right fit for the role of Snow White when she sang Waiting on a Wish and performed other scenes.

“They saw something. Something they could invest in for the future,” she told Allure.

With producer Mark E. Platt and Gal Gadot at the world premiere of Snow White in Hollywood on March 15. Picture: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney

“The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing. My only prayer for the future of diversity and inclusion is that we invest in and nurture talent no matter what they look like.”

However, controversy has since surrounded Zegler after she described the film as having “a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! WEIRD!” in earlier interviews.

The actress is also said to be feuding with her co-star Gal Gadot, with a source telling People magazine that Gadot, 39, “has nothing in common” with Zegler.

Another insider added that they also have “very different political views” that is “adding to the tension”.

This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Snow White star Rachel Zegler hits back at ‘white executives’ who questioned her Latina heritage