West Side Story's Rachel Zegler Recalls The Attention She Got in School After Getting Cast as Maria

Rachel Zegler is opening up about West Side Story in a new interview with Elle magazine.

The 18-year-old actress will make her feature film debut in the movie as Maria, who captures the attention and love of Tony, who is from a rival gang in the 1960s set flick.

Click inside to see what Rachel shared about the movie and more…

Scroll down to see what Rachel shared about her experience in the movie, and more!

On the overwhelming attention she received after being cast: “I was one of those people who had decided that I was going to survive high school and not love it,” she shared, adding that the attention made her want to “stuff my head in my locker and not come out. My principal was like, ‘You can come into my office whenever you need to just take a deep breath,’ because it was really overwhelming.”

On meeting the composer Stephen Sondheim: “I lost my mind. I just sank to my knees next to him instinctually. He said, ‘I’ve heard you sing on YouTube. You’re like a nightingale.’ And I was like, ‘Shut up. Fully, no, absolutely not.’”

On the fact that the Latinx characters are all played by Latinx actors: “There’s a sense of pride having so many incredible Latine performers in this movie—people who are from all over—because it’s a real testament to the fact that we all come from so many different places. That’s the point of the story, that we are all coming from our own backgrounds, our own conversations, our own upbringings. And what do we bring to the table if we can’t talk to each other about it?”

West Side Story, which has been banned in some Middle Eastern countries just recently, will open nationwide in the US on December 10.