Rachel Zegler starred in one of the best musicals of recent years with the Steven Spielberg movie West Side Story, and now she’s nabbed herself a big superhero movie role in DC Universe sequel Shazam 2.
In the DC movie sequel, Zegler plays Anthea – one of the three DC villains who make up the Daughters of Atlas. Along with her sisters, played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, Anthea is pitted against the heroic members of the Shazam cast.
She’s riding high in Hollywood right now, but things weren’t so easy back when she took on the role in the new movie. In fact, part of the reason she accepted the job was because she really needed work.
Asked by The Hollywood Reporter about her decision to take the role at the action movie premiere, Zegler replied that she “needed a job” and clarified that she was “being so serious” with that answer.
She said: “The reality is we’re in the middle of a pandemic and I was not working and I couldn’t get a job for the life of me, because West Side Story hadn’t come out yet. It was really hard to book work for me.”
Having got the gig, Zegler said she is hugely excited to be part of the superhero landscape. “I loved the first movie, and the fact that they even wanted me to come in for a call-back and then a camera read and then everything in between, I’m so lucky that I got this job. I made some of my best friends on this job. I just absolutely adore this movie, too, so I’m excited.”
Find out how to watch Shazam 2 with our guide, and check out what we thought of the comedy movie in our Shazam 2 review. We also answer your burning questions with the Shazam 2 ending explained, everyone who dies in Shazam 2, and the Justice Society in the DC Universe.
For more from the world of DC, we’ve got you covered on James Gunn’s plan for Chapter 1 Gods and Monsters, as well as guides to the Superman Legacy release date, the Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow release date, and The Brave and the Bold release date.