Steven Spielberg Found “Maria” For his ‘West Side Story’ Remake [PHOTO]

Photo credit – MobileSaint/Shutterstock

The 1960’s classic is closer to coming to life!

More than 30,000 women auditioned for the role of “Maria” for the remake of the film West Side Story. A lucky 17-year-old girl with no film acting experience caught her big break!

Rachel Zegler is a Colombian-American high school student whose parents “emigrated from Cuba with no connections,” reported on the Hollywood Reporter. She responded to the audition with a video of herself singing “Tonight” and “Me Siento Hermosa.”

The young actress played “Maria” in a play on stage and an opportunity of a lifetime is in front of her face again! In the IG post, Rachel said she “never imagined” that this would happen. This is a big move not only for her but for her culture. For her, it’s an honor to play the iconic role of “Maria” and its a humbling experience for her. 

Filming begins this summer, are you excited about this remake?

View this post on Instagram

when i played maria on stage a few summers ago, i never could have imagined that i’d be taking on the role again in steven spielberg’s ‘west side story’. i send a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this incredible dream a reality— i never could’ve done it alone. i am so honored to join the legendary @TheRitaMoreno, @ansel, @arianadebose, @davidalvarezofficial, @joshandresrivera and more in telling this impeccably poignant story. as a colombian-american woman growing up in this day and age, strong roles like maria are so important. to be able to bring that role to life— a role that means so much to the hispanic community— is so humbling. i hope you’re all as excited as i am. ♥️✨

A post shared by rachel zegler (@rachelzegler) on Jan 14, 2019 at 1:08pm PST

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsJ58vTFQ9n/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrnNK7aFEDA/