VIEW: Rachel Zegler plays Ask Me Anything
Rachel Zegler is back on the big screen.
Fresh off her role as María Vasquez in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 musical drama “West Side Story,” Zegler stars alongside Oscar-winning actresses Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu in “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” which was released Friday.
Zegler told “Good Morning America” that playing Anthea in a star-studded film with Mirren and Liu was a “dream come true.”
MORE: ‘West Side Story’ star Rachel Zegler to play Snow White in upcoming live-action film
“These women are the most powerful, the most amazing,” she said. “They are so smart, beautiful and talented. I have never felt so cradled by the support and love of other women on set.”
Zegler is also set to star in the upcoming film “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” a prequel to the “Hunger Games” trilogy, playing Snow White in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic. movie.
When asked which role was the most challenging to play, Zegler said it was “without a doubt” Snow White.
“Playing a princess is much more challenging,” she said. “Believe it or not, I had a lot more stunts in ‘Snow White’ than in ‘Shazam.’
“There was underwater training, there was equipment and trapdoors and all the running, scratching, bruising – it was very, very difficult and definitely harder than being a superhero,” he added.
MORE: Meet ‘West Side Story’ remake’s new Maria: 17-year-old Colombian-American singer Rachel Zegler wowed Spielberg
Make history as the first Latina to play a Disney princess
Zegler’s role as Snow White makes history. The Colombian-born actress is the first Latina to ever play a Disney princess in a live-action film.
She said playing Snow White resonated with her because she “never really saw myself represented” as a Disney princess.
“This really resonated with me because I was a big fan of Belle and Jasmine and Pocahontas you know, because they had dark hair, dark eyes,” she said. “Subverting expectations and playing a role like Snow White is so important to me because I know it means a lot to young kids everywhere.”
“The fact that I’m getting the legacy of an 85-year-old comic is incredible,” he added. “And the fact that the Disney Company trusted me to carry that legacy is really special.”
MORE: ‘West Side Story’ star Rachel Zegler talks friendship with Steven Spielberg
Why does he keep in touch with Snow White?
Zegler said that he related the most to Snow White’s message.
“At the core of our film, Snow White longs to be someone fearless, someone fair, someone brave, someone true,” Zegler said. “And the main message of our film is that all those things are inside you all the time.”
“It just takes the strength to find it and the strength to realize it in yourself,” he added. “And I think I played a role at a time when I really needed that message thrown in my face. And I’m really glad I did it when I did it, because I carry that message with me throughout my life. And so I really connected with it and with him.”
Zegler said audiences can expect the same classic story in the upcoming Disney live-action movie about a princess “who is kind and lovely and treats all living things with kindness and justice.”
In the film directed by Marc Webb, Gal Gadot also plays the evil queen.
“Snow White” is expected to arrive in theaters in March 2024.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Good Morning America.