Rachel Zegler was repeatedly asked if she had “legit” Hispanic heritage when she was in the running for West Side Story.

The 23-year-old responded to an open casting call on Twitter, now called X, and beat thousands of applicants to play Maria in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 version of the famed musical.

During an Allure interview, Zegler revealed that the casting team was so dedicated to hiring Latinx actors that they kept double checking her Colombian heritage was “legit”.

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

According to the publication, she then expressed bemusement at “having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them”.

Zegler starred alongside Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez and Mike Faist in the 2021 musical, which was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

The star auditioned for the live-action remake of Snow White before her movie debut in West Side Story was released. Spielberg sent the casting team a letter of recommendation and Zegler blew director Marc Webb away with her rendition of the original song Waiting on a Wish.

“Snow White has an optimistic, youthful grace. Even in her darkest moments, she finds humanity and beauty in others,” Webb said of casting Zegler in the title role. “I think Rachel has that in her spirit. And it doesn’t hurt that during her screen test, she made us weep with her rendition of Waiting on a Wish.”

Snow White will be released in cinemas on Friday.

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