Steven Spielberg's adaptation of West Side Story has finally found its Maria.
Rachel Zegler, a 17-year-old New Jersey high school student, will be making her debut movie appearance in the remake of the romantic/tragedy musical after beating more than 30,000 people to the role.
The young actress, who will be joined by Broadway stars Ariana DeBose as Anita and David Alvarez as Bernardo, successfully landed the part with a video of herself singing 'Tonight' and 'Me Siento Hermosa'. She's bottom-right in the picture below:
Starring opposite Baby Driver's Ansel Elgort as Tony, Rachel said: "I am so thrilled to be playing the iconic role of Maria alongside this amazing cast.
"West Side Story was the first musical I encountered with a Latina lead character. As a Colombian-American, I am humbled by the opportunity to play a role that means so much to the Hispanic community."
Steven Spielberg himself is extremely happy to have assembled a cast that's 'ethnically authentic'.
Spielberg explained: "When we began this process a year ago, we announced that we would cast the roles of Maria, Anita, Bernardo, Chino and the Sharks with Latina and Latino actors. I’m so happy that we’ve assembled a cast that reflects the astonishing depth of talent in America’s multifaceted Hispanic community.
"I am in awe of the sheer force of the talent of these young performers, and I believe they’ll bring a new and electrifying energy to a magnificent musical that’s more relevant than ever."
The 1961 remake, based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, earned 11 Academy Awards nominations and won 10 of them, so we can only hope for the same success with Spielberg's long-awaited adaptation.
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