Rachel Zegler‘s audition for her coveted Evita role wasn’t an easy one. Even though she was in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of West Side Story when she was just a high schooler, Zegler reportedly had to prove her acting chops to score a role in Jamie Lloyd’s radical new take on Evita.
Talking to Variety, she called her wanting to be a part of Lloyd’s revival a “no-brainer.” For those who might not know, she joined as Eva Perón, the Argentine first lady who is portrayed as a modern pop star in this renewed take. Apparently, the actress went for the role while she was still busy delivering her ultra-modern adaptation of Romeo + Juliet.
Recalling how she managed to get to audition for the role even through her jam-packed schedule, Zegler shared, “I had called my agent using FaceTime Audio because I was working in a basement on Broadway beneath ‘Wicked,’ and I said, ‘Do whatever it takes to get me an audition in that room.’”
But the most enthralling part is what she had to do during the audition to ultimately bag the role, despite having led films like The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and making her Broadway debut in the revival of Romeo + Juliet. As Zegler candidly confessed, “I sang about 40 pages of material, and then I did a two-show day.”
Rachel Zegler’s journey to the Evita role took plenty of dedication
Of course, just earning the part wasn’t the end of the hard work. If anything, that was just the beginning of the intense dedication it would take for Rachel Zegler to bring the character of Eva Perón to life in Evita.
For this particular gig, Zegler sported a blonde wig and performed the show’s best-known song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from a balcony facing the street while theatergoers inside watched on screens. To say the least, the actress didn’t hesitate to leave any stone unturned in her performance, with the final outcome eventually making waves last summer in London.
Evita will officially open at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre in the spring.
