Rachel Zegler names her three favourite movies
Every so often, it becomes abundantly clear that one generation of young stars is shifting, with a new cohort of burgeoning talents coming through. Once, it was Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Winona Ryder ruling the roost, but now it’s the likes of Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Rachel Sennott and Rachel Zegler, with the latter already having claimed major awards for her performances.
Having only starred in three movies to date, Zegler’s rise to the forefront of Hollywood is pretty remarkable. Beginning her career on stage, starring in such productions as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Shrek The Musical, Zegler’s big break came in January 2018, when she replied to an open call for auditions for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, beating over 30,000 applicants for the lead role of María.
Earning a Golden Globe for her performance, critics praised the debutant as one of the greatest aspects of Spielberg’s musical remake, with other studios naturally eyeing her up for future lead roles in the process. In 2023, she took major roles in the DC movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as well as the long-anticipated prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, making her an unquestionable cinematic force.
Seeing as Spielberg gave Zegler her first big break, it should come as little surprise that the actor felt as though she should honour the iconic director in her list of all-time favourite movies.
Naming a trio of favourites in an interview with BuzzFeed, Zegler first picked Spielberg’s Lincoln, the director’s two-time Oscar-winning biopic about the 16th US President. Starring the great Daniel Day-Lewis, who picked up his third Academy Award for his performance in the movie, as well as Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, the film is considered one of Spielberg’s few 21st-century triumphs.
Aside from Spielberg, Zegler also picked out another ‘Best Picture’ nominee in the form of Inside Llewyn Davis, written and directed by the Coen brothers back in 2013. Telling the story of a hopeful folk singer in the 1960s, the film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake, with the latter helping to create the film’s iconic score that remains beloved by fans today.
The final movie she picks out is a classic of musical cinema, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s Singin’ in the Rain. Considering her love for stage performance, it’s no wonder that Zegler opted for the classic movie, especially given that it has given cinema some of its greatest moments of song, producing such classic numbers as ‘Good Morning’, ‘Make ‘em Laugh’ and, of course, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’.
Take a look at Zegler’s full list of favourites below.
Rachel Zegler’s favourite movies:
- Inside Llewyn Davis (the Coen brothers, 2013)
- Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, 2012)
- Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, 1952)
