What is Rachel Zegler's Net Worth and Salary?
Rachel Zegler is an actress and singer who has a net worth of $3 million. Rachel Zegler had her breakthrough role playing Maria Vasquez in Steven Spielberg's 2021 film adaptation of the musical "West Side Story." She earned widespread critical acclaim for her performance, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. Among her other roles, Zegler is set to play Snow White in Disney's live-action remake of the 1937 animated film.
Early Life and Education
Rachel Zegler was born on May 3, 2001 in Hackensack, New Jersey to Craig and Gina. She is of Colombian descent on her mother's side, and of Polish ancestry on her father's side. Zegler has an older sister named Jacqueline. Brought up in Clifton, New Jersey, Zegler went to St. Philip the Apostle Preparatory School. Following this, she went to Immaculate Conception High School, a Roman Catholic all-girls college-preparatory school. There, Zegler starred in a number of musical productions, including "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid," "42nd Street," and "Shrek the Musical." She also played Cosette in "Les Misérables" and Millie in "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Zegler graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in 2019.
Career Beginnings
Zegler first came to wider attention through her YouTube channel, which she launched in the summer of 2015. On the channel, she has posted both lifestyle videos and numerous covers of popular songs. Zegler has also been prominent on Twitter, with her cover of "Shallow" from the 2018 film version of "A Star is Born" reaching more than 11 million views.
"West Side Story" Background
In early 2018, a 16-year-old Zegler responded to an open casting call on Twitter for Steven Spielberg's upcoming film adaptation of the musical "West Side Story." The year before this, she had played the lead role of Maria Vasquez in a production of "West Side Story" at the Bergen Performing Arts Center. For the casting call, Zegler sent in videos of herself singing the songs "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty." She ultimately landed the role from a pool of more than 30,000 applicants, giving her her feature film debut.
Adapted by Tony Kushner from the hit 1957 stage musical and the subsequent 1961 film version, Spielberg's "West Side Story" came out in December of 2021 after being delayed for a year due to the COVID pandemic. In the film, Zegler stars as Maria, with Ansel Elgort playing her ill-fated, star-crossed lover Tony. Other cast members include Ariana DeBose as Anita; David Alvarez as Bernardo; Mike Faist as Riff; Corey Still as Lieutenant Schrank; and Brian d'Arcy James as Officer Krupke. Additionally, Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 film version, appears in the newly created role of Valentina.
(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
"West Side Story" Accolades
An almost universal critical success, Spielberg's "West Side Story" earned numerous plaudits and awards, including seven Oscar nominations. Zegler herself racked up many honors, the first being Best Actress from the National Board of Review. In January of 2022, she won her biggest award, the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. With her win, Zegler became the youngest recipient of that award at 20 years of age; she also became the first actress of Colombian ancestry to win in the category. In recognition of her success, she was named to Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30" list.
Further Film Career
Following "West Side Story," Zegler began filming the DC Comics superhero film sequel "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." In addition to Zachary Levi in the titular role, the film stars Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Helen Mirren, and Lucy Liu. Zegler next began filming "Snow White," Disney's live-action adaptation of its 1937 animated film. Zegler plays the titular princess, while Gal Gadot plays the Evil Queen.
Other Endeavors
Zegler has been involved in a range of other media beyond film. In 2021, she appeared in two episodes of the improvised television talk show "The George Lucas Talk Show." The same year, Zegler participated in a virtual closed reading of the play "Newton's Cradle: A Ghost Story," and starred in the main role on the podcast "Princess of South Beach." As a singer, she has released the non-album single "Let Me Try" and the "West Side Story" single "Balcony Scene (Tonight)." Zegler also appeared in the 2020 music video for Kathryn Gallagher's song "Nostalgic for the Moment (Dance Party Edition)." Later, she provided the voice on the phone in the music video for Pomplamoose's "Sam's Idea."
