- Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.co.uk
Rachel Zegler cemented her return to prominence after her much-maligned role in Snow White with triumph at the Olivier Awards on Sunday night.
The singer, 24, was honoured with Best Actress In A Musical for her critically-acclaimed performance in Evita and was visibly emotional as she paid tribute to her parents and co-stars at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Rachel had starred as Snow White in Disney’s woke live-action adaptation last year, but it was fraught with controversy, including changes to the plot and claims of behind-the-scenes tension between her and co-star Gal Gadot.
After the film flopped at the box office, Rachel has reinvented herself as a West End star with her performance in Evita.
The show became a viral sensation last year, as it included the moment Rachel performed the iconic Don’t Cry For Me Argentina on a balcony outside the London Palladium, with hundreds gathering to watch.
Describing the performance as ‘the honour of a lifetime,’ Rachel said she’s felt ‘so welcomed by the people of London’ since starring in the show, before praising director Jamie Lloyd.
Taking to the stage, Rachel said: ‘Thank you so much everybody in this toom. I’m so inspired by all of you, everyone in my category, I am so lucky to be in the likes of you, you’re all so so amazing.’
The star confessed the decision to write a speech was a last-minute one, and she’d prepared hers on hotel stationery.
She continued: ‘Thank you so much to the Oliviers for this tremendous honour and thank you so much to the city of London for making me feel so welcome here, I never could have imagined.
‘It was the honour of a lifetime singing to the people on Argyll Street eight times a week.
‘I can’t believe I got so lucky as to sing in front of thousands of you, and it’s so beautiful that Jamie Lloyd made such an accessible moment of theatre for people to walk by and witness something really really cool, so thank you to Jamie Lloyd who is a genius, and trusted me with his vision to lead this Titanic show. I would be nothing without you and I adore you so very much.’
‘This is my Mom and Dad’s, they harvested my talents, they harvested my passion, they never thought that it was silly or out of reach and so they’re at home in suburban New Jersey right now, and I just want them to know that I won and it’s because of them.
‘The cast of this show is so unbelievable, they are the best ensemble that the West End has ever seen, and they made me laugh in a three-hour show where I had very little water breaks, so I thank them.
‘James [Olivas] and Diego [Andres Rodriguez], who is nominated tonight, you guys, I could not have done it without you, we move as one, and I love you so much I share this with you.
‘And finally to Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who allowed me to take on the legacy of the show, I really hope I’ve made you proud.’
Even in the months leading to its disappointing release, Snow White faced backlash over changes made to make it more ‘progressive.’
As filming took off in 2022, Rachel labelled Prince Charming a ‘stalker’ and described the animated classic as ‘extremely dated’ in its portrayal of women in positions of power.
Prominent critics weren’t impressed either, with Peter Dinklage blasting the Mickey Mouse corporation for creating a ‘f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.’
Tensions escalated when the film’s ‘creepy’ computer-generated dwarfs appeared in the first trailer, making it one of the most disliked videos on YouTube.
The controversy nearly boiled over when Zegler took to social media to criticise Israel and the Trump administration, with bosses going on to cancel the planned London premiere in favour of a closed event in Spain in a bid to shut out wider press.
Rachel went on to speak about the backlash she faced for the role, telling Harper’s Bazaar UK: ‘I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for West Side Story and too much of another for Snow White. It was a really confusing time to be in my early twenties and hearing that.
‘I grew up proud of being Colombian – eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult – but I do think there’s an argument to be made that.’
‘In the public eye at least, when you’re two things, you’re simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else’s comfort.’
Rachel gushed that it was honour to play former First Lady of Argentina Eva Peron in the show, which debuted in 1978 and was written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
When she wrapped her run in Evita in September, Evita showed her gratitude to those who had shown up to watch her take the stage at the London Palladium through the limited run.
‘Whether you’ve been part of the 220,000 that joined us inside the palladium these past 12 weeks, or the over 130,000 descamisados who showed up at our balcony everyday, thank you,’ she wrote on Instagram.
During Sunday’s Olivier Awards, which was celebrating its 50th Anniversary, Paddington The Musical dominated the evening winning a whopping seven awards.
The smash-hit musical – which is adapted from the books by Michael Bond and the hit films – won in seven categories from 11 nominations including best new musical, best actor in a musical and best actor and actress in a supporting role.
It follows the adventures of the marmalade-loving bear from Peru, starring a life-like puppet of Paddington, and also picked up the prize for best costume design, best set design and the Sir Peter Hall award for best director.
Paddington, currently on at the Savoy Theatre in London, features music written by McFly star Tom Fletcher and its book was written by playwright Jessica Swale.
During the acceptance speech for best new musical, Fletcher praised the production for ‘celebrating kindness’, and said it felt ‘so special’ to be a part of it.
