Rachel Zegler lands lead role in Evita in wake of Snow White disaster

It’s the start of her West End story.Rachel Zegler is headed across the pond to make her West End debut in a revival of “Evita,” according to a report published on Variety Friday.“Evita” will be directed by “Sunset Boulevard” creator Jamie Lloyd and opening night is slated for June 14 at the London Palladium.The show follows the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón (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 “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.”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 won’t be the first time Zegler takes on an iconic role, as she rose to stardom in 2021 after starring in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”The actress then headed to Broadway where she made her debut as Juliet in “Romeo + Juliet” – a modern twist on the Shakespearian classic. Now, Zegler is gearing up for the release of Disney’s “Snow White,” 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 “different approach” to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes” from the 1937 film.Fans were outraged over the switch, calling Disney “politically correct” and “woke.” They also voiced their concerns that Zegler – a Latina actress – was cast as Snow White.“Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage, who has dwarfism, didn‘t hold back his feelings either. “Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback [when] they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow Whit...