and she made it back as Velma in the West Side Story film, co-directed and choreographed by Robbins. Here, Velma is the girlfriend of Ice (Tucker Smith), a character created for the movie.

The Golden Globe winner recalled “having a bunch of white executives have you prove your identity to them” while auditioning for Steven Spielberg‘s 2021 West Side Story movie musical adaptation.

Rachel Zegler said her ethnic background was put into question during the casting process for “West Side Story,” during which she says white executives repeatedly asked whether she was ...