Can Rachel Zegler speak Spanish?

Some viral video stars have their 5 seconds of fame zap away in a second. And then sometimes they’re Rachel Zegler.

Zegler broke into the scene thanks to going viral on Twitter and TikTok, and was subsequently cast as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake. Since then, she’s gone on to appear in Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and is set to appear in Disney’s Snow White remake and the Netflix animated musical Spellbound.

Regardless of her future achievements however, Zegler made a name for herself thanks to her portrayal of West Side Story’s Maria. Becoming the youngest person to win the Golden Globe for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy or Musical, as well as the first person of Colombian descent, Zegler’s casting in West Side Story was seen as significant. In the original 1961 version, many of the Puerto Rican roles, including Maria (Natalie Wood), were played by white actors with no Latinx heritage — though it should be noted, legendary Puerto Rican treasure Rita Moreno picked up the O in her EGOT from this film.

Though many were still vocal about Zegler not being Puerto Rican, most people were glad to see her, and many of the Sharks were played by actors of Latinx heritage, including Ariana DeBose as Anita, the role Rita Moreno played in the original. Naturally however, as the casting was announced, people were curious who on the cast was fluent in Spanish thanks to their Latinx heritage.

Those who know of Zegler’s audition videos for West Side Story know she’s no stranger to the Spanish language. The singer posted two videos to Twitter in the hopes of getting Spielberg’s attention during their open casting call for Maria: One singing “Tonight,” and one of “I Feel Pretty,” both en español. Zegler also uploaded a cover to YouTube back in 2018 of “Sonya Alone” from Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812, in both English and Spanish.

However, Zegler admitted she isn’t fluent in a 2022 interview with Variety, saying that while she grew up around the language, she was never property taught Spanish. “There was this idea from my abuelita since my mom was a kid and when I was a kid, that you will be American. You will speak English,” shared Zegler. That being said, she also said in a Tweet to a fan that she’s semi-fluent, so don’t completely write off her Spanish-speaking ability.