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Rachel Zegler said she is “indebted” to Steven Spielberg after her West Side Story director attended a performance of Evita in London
“steven spielberg, you changed my life. i may never be truly able to return the favor,” Zegler wrote in a caption on Instagram
Spielberg launched Zegler’s career when he cast the then-17-year-old in West Side Story back in 2019; the actress is currently starring in Evita in London through Sept. 6
Years after the world was first introduced to Rachel Zegler, the actress is paying tribute to Steven Spielberg for helping launch her career.
Zegler, 24, shared photos of herself and Spielberg, 78, on Instagram Thursday, Aug. 28, as she noted in a caption that the legendary director saw her perform onstage in Evita in London, and she wrote about her gratitude for her West Side Story director’s impact on her life.
“we had a very special guest @officialevita last weekend — a man who believed in me when i was 17 and is the reason i was ushered into the many opportunities i have been blessed with thus far,” Zegler wrote in a caption.
“seven years later and he’s still so supportive of every venture, and i couldn’t be more thankful,” Zegler added. “steven spielberg, you changed my life. i may never be truly able to return the favor, but i hope a performance of ‘rainbow high’ every now and then gives you some comfort in knowing i am taking care of the career (kristie and) you’ve so graciously given me. grateful isn’t the right word. indebted, maybe. you get the picture.”
Rachel Zegler/Instagram
Rachel Zegler and Steven Spielberg, via Zegler’s Instagram on Aug. 28, 2025
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Zegler was 17 when Spielberg cast her to portray West Side Story‘s Maria in his 2021 remake of the classic 1961 movie musical. It marked Zegler’s first big-screen role. The actress starred with Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist and more in the movie, which received seven Academy Award nominations. (DeBose, 34, won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita.)
Since West Side Story, Zegler has appeared in movies like Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Y2K, Spellbound and, most recently, Disney’s live-action Snow White.
The actress revealed during a March 17 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that Spielberg gave her “a really glowing recommendation” to Snow White director Marc Webb before she was cast in that role in 2021.
Amblin Entertainment / 20th Century Studios / Album
David Alvarez, Ariana DeBose, Steven Spielberg, Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort
“I also got a text from Steven kind of alluding to the fact that I had gotten the part [of Snow White] before I found out,” she said during that talk show appearance. “I wished him a Happy Father’s Day, as one does, and he texted me a bunch of apple emojis as a response!”
Zegler has been performing the lead role in Evita in London since June. The musical is playing at the London Palladium through Sept. 6.
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