Itâs the start of her West End story.
Rachel Zegler is headed across the pond to make her West End debut in a revival of âEvita,â according to a report published on Variety Friday.
âEvitaâ will be directed by âSunset Boulevardâ creator Jamie Lloyd and opening night is slated for June 14 at the London Palladium.
Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, waves to supporters in Buenos Aires Oct. 17, 1951. AP
Rachel Zegler at the European event for Disneyâs âSnow White.â Getty Images for Disney
The show follows the life of Argentine political leader Eva PerĂłn (Zegler) who is also the second wife of the Argentine president.
Zegler, 23, will follow in the footsteps of stage stars Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone. Paige, 77, originated the role on the West End in 1978 with the iconic hit âDonât Cry for Me, Argentina.â
LuPone, 75, meanwhile, was the first to star as Eva on Broadway in 1979.
In 1996, Madonna starred in the film adaptation opposite Antonio Banderas.
However, this wonât be the first time Zegler takes on an iconic role, as she rose to stardom in 2021 after starring in Steven Spielbergâs âWest Side Story.â
The actress then headed to Broadway where she made her debut as Juliet in âRomeo + Julietâ â a modern twist on the Shakespearian classic.
Argentine first lady Eva Peron. AP
Argentinian actress Elena Roger plays the lead role of Eva Peron in the musical âEvita.â ASSOCIATED PRESS
Now, Zegler is gearing up for the release of Disneyâs âSnow White,â in which she once again plays the female lead alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.
The film, which hit theaters on March 21, has been plagued with scrutiny from the start.
It was originally leaked that Disney was axing the original roles of the dwarf characters. The studio responded by stating they were taking a âdifferent approachâ to âavoid reinforcing stereotypesâ from the 1937 film.
Madonna in the 1996 movie musical âEvita.â Everett Collection
Fans were outraged over the switch, calling Disney âpolitically correctâ and âwoke.â They also voiced their concerns that Zegler â a Latina actress â was cast as Snow White.
âGame of Thronesâ star Peter Dinklage, who has dwarfism, didnât hold back his feelings either.
âLiterally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback [when] they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but youâre still telling the story of âSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,ââ the actor, 55, shared on Marc Maronâs âWTFâ podcast in 2022.
Eva Duarte De Peron in 1949. Getty Images
Dinklage continued, âYouâre progressive in one way but then youâre still making that fâking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the fâk are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess Iâm not loud enough.â
The film giant then opted to replace the fairy taleâs seven dwarfs with CGI.
Zegler also called out the 1930s animator David Hand, labeling his work âextremely dated.â
âSheâs not going to be saved by the prince and sheâs not going to be dreaming about true love. Sheâs dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true,â she said in a clip from the Disney D23 Expo in 2022.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White. Walt Disney Co.
Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) and Snow White (Rachel Zegler). Courtesy of Disney
Her comments outraged fans.
The movieâs star didnât stop there, as she received massive backlash after going on a social media rant against those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
She wrote in part that âthere is a âdeep, deep sicknessâ in the United States due to how many people voted for a âman who threatens our democracy.â
Following her remarks, some of Trumpâs supporters took to X to share that they would be boycotting the project.
âI hope you get no peace when this film BOMBS at the box office and streaming,â one user stated on social media.
Due to the controversy, Disney has reportedly opted for a low-key premiere over the usual media-packed red carpet.
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot speak onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars. Getty Images
The event on March 15 will be limited to photographers and an in-house crew, according to Variety.
Ahead of the premiere, when asked if people should watch âSnow White,â Gadot, 39, simply responded, âOf course â itâs a great movie.â