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Amid unwarranted discourse around her casting as Snow White, Rachel Zegler is sharing her experience as a Latina actress. The Golden Globe winner recalled “having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them” while auditioning for Steven Spielberg‘s 2021 West Side Story movie musical adaptation.

"There’s confusion because I don’t have a single ounce of Latin in my name,” Zegler said. “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.”

Rachel Zegler is opening up about a shocking experience she faced while preparing to star in “West Side Story.” In a March cover story for Allure, the actor, 23, claimed that “white executives” asked her to prove her Latina heritage was “legit” during the casting process for Steven Spielberg’s remake of the famous 1961 musical.