Rachel Zegler, the 23-year-old actress who skyrocketed to fame with her debut role in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story, has found herself at the center of yet another Hollywood rumor. A series of posts on X and YouTube videos in April 2025 claimed that Spielberg warned Disney about “horrible things” Zegler did during the filming of West Side Story, allegedly impacting her later role in Disney’s live-action Snow White, released on March 21, 2025. But as the story gained traction online, a closer look reveals a lack of evidence, raising questions about the narrative’s validity and its timing amidst Zegler’s already controversial career.

Zegler’s journey to stardom began with West Side Story. Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, to a Colombian mother and Polish father, she responded to Spielberg’s open casting call in 2018 at age 16, submitting videos of herself singing “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty.” Out of over 30,000 applicants, she landed the role of María, a Latina character previously played by a white actress, Natalie Wood, in the 1961 film. Spielberg’s remake aimed for authenticity, casting Latina actress Zegler and working with dialect coaches to capture her character’s Puerto Rican heritage, as noted in a 2021 Variety interview. Her performance was a critical success, earning her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 2022, making her the youngest winner in that category at the time. Critics like David Ehrlich of IndieWire praised her “captivating” presence, and Spielberg himself was so impressed that he recommended her to director Marc Webb for Disney’s Snow White, according to a March 2025 People article. This glowing endorsement starkly contrasts with the rumor of any “horrible” behavior.

The rumor’s specifics are vague. YouTube videos allege unspecified misconduct by Zegler on the West Side Story set, claiming Spielberg cautioned Disney before her Snow White casting. However, no credible sources—such as Spielberg, Disney, or Zegler—have confirmed this. The timeline also raises doubts: Zegler was cast as Snow White in 2021, shortly after wrapping West Side Story, and Spielberg’s recommendation came before West Side Story’s release in December 2021, as Zegler shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in March 2025. If Spielberg had concerns, his advocacy for her casting seems unlikely. Additionally, West Side Story’s production faced challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, but Zegler herself spoke positively of her experience, joking on X in 2023 about Spielberg’s direction not to blink during a scene, calling her resilience “eyeballs of steel.”

The rumor’s timing aligns with Zegler’s later controversies, particularly around Snow White. The $270 million remake flopped, grossing just $87 million worldwide, per Variety, amid backlash over its modernized plot, CGI “magical creatures” replacing the dwarfs, and Zegler’s outspokenness. Her August 2024 X post, “and always remember, free Palestine,” posted alongside Snow White promotion, led to death threats against co-star Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, prompting Disney to increase Gadot’s security and hire a social media consultant for Zegler. Producer Marc Platt flew to New York to address her posts, and his son Jonah later blamed her political remarks for the film’s poor performance, as reported by the Daily Mail in April 2025. Zegler’s November 2024 anti-Trump comments further alienated some fans, fueling perceptions of her as a liability.

This context suggests the West Side Story rumor may be a retroactive smear, capitalizing on Zegler’s recent controversies. Her West Side Story press tour wasn’t without challenges—she faced questions about co-star Ansel Elgort’s 2020 sexual assault allegation, which she called a “gut punch” in a 2022 Elle interview—but there’s no record of on-set misconduct. In fact, Ariana DeBose, who won an Oscar for her role in West Side Story, worked alongside Zegler without issue, though a later Instagram post in April 2025 quoting criticism of Zegler caused a stir, which DeBose clarified wasn’t aimed at her co-star, per Entertainment Weekly.

The rumor reflects a broader pattern of online sensationalism targeting young actresses, especially women of color. Zegler, like Halle Bailey with The Little Mermaid, faced racist backlash for her Snow White casting, as noted in a Teen Vogue timeline. Her outspokenness on political issues, while divisive, doesn’t correlate with her West Side Story tenure, where she was a newcomer under Spielberg’s mentorship. The lack of evidence, combined with Spielberg’s documented support, suggests this story is likely fabricated, a product of clickbait culture exploiting Zegler’s polarizing image.

As Zegler prepares for her West End debut in Evita in summer 2025, her talent remains undeniable. The West Side Story rumor, while baseless, underscores the challenges young stars face in navigating fame, politics, and public scrutiny in an era where misinformation spreads faster than truth.