How Rachel Zegler Became The New Anne Hathaway, The Drama-Child Actress Everyone Loves To Hate

“I obsess that celebrities are just kids in the theater that made it,” one Tumblr user once shudder to observe.

For some, there will always be something completely chilling about the fact that just beneath their favorite actor’s red carpet poise is the beating heart of someone who has been, at any time, at any time. At any given time, about two opening chords are unlikely to break out into a program tune. Or worse – still the same.

Rachel Zegler, more than most, wears that heart on her sleeve. The 20-year-old actress had her film debut in Steven Spielberg’s film West story, after being selected 29,999 others will be Marías during the 2019 open casting call. As an ordinary teenager in New Jersey, Zegler did what female lead singers usually do, and was cast as the star of all the school musicals. her high school. She was then brought into the territory bearing the household name. This kind of whipping, even if she wanted to, wouldn’t allow Zegler the chance to bury or shed her theater child self.

There’s no second chance at first impressions — and for most, Zegler is a viral video of her. Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” belt out on an auditorium stage during a sound test. That’s the dictionary definition of “theater kid.” And even after all the late-night appearances, splashy magazines go viral, and Vogue makeup tutorials, she appears as she is: a theater kid suddenly emerging in the global spotlight — serious, mildly bewildered and yearning to prove herself.

But that naked authenticity can, ironically, turn out to be inauthentic, especially for those who a) spend time on social networking sites where contempt and hostility openly considered a personality trait, and b) growing up with the teeth of coffee shop kids shouting lines of words Challenge together.

For them, Zegler’s rise is unforgivable, though they may not be exact. why they feel that way. Instead, they talk about her general aura, why it sucks, and why it justifies praying for her demise.

“Zegler vibes are disgusting”, one Twitter user sniffed recently, adding that “there’s something about her that just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Not a bitch,” another person comment, “But I’m so glad people are talking about how obnoxious Rachel Zegler is because she’s been bugging me for OVER YEAR NOW.”

“[I]It’s no wonder Rachel Zegler has 3% of her career and she’s moving this is so weird”, a third Written.

The peanut gallery’s rave reviews hit critical mass earlier this week, as Zegler conceptualized, filmed and uploaded a dramatic read of a Britney Spears Notes app message from January 14 in which the pop star hit her sister in the middle of their Public feud is going on.

It was a relative face for someone who, eight days earlier, had won a Golden Globe. The video was handled in a complicated and wrong way. It doesn’t have the necessary self-awareness that a Generation Z celebrity, especially someone who has chosen to go on to become Ultra Online, needs to have. (Zegler deleted the video and sorry.) It has energy girls choose for me. It’s Rachel Berry-meet-Tori Vega. It shrank back.

But for some, it’s more than that. That was all the proof they needed that Zegler didn’t “worthy” her celebrity. A chorus of howls, which has largely fallen silent since Zegler removed the phrase “Believe the Survivors” from her Twitter bio after allegation of sexual assault against her West story co-star Ansel Elgort, was exonerated and bloodstained again. Spielberg may have kicked her out of the Norwegian military choir, but the video is an attention-grabbing request in neon letters, betraying the storytelling heart of—gasp—A celebrity is still a child in the theater.

Certainly, the harshness comes from people who are trolling to appease their low self-esteem. There are more complex constructs of racism and deviant at play. But Zegler has Indirect and direct made it clear that she noticed hate, even tweets that received less than a dozen likes.

And while she doesn’t comment extensively on it, we do have proof that it’s like a punch in the gut. As Anne Hathaway, perhaps the most famous historical example of “‘cast’ female Celebrity we just kinda dislike, ”Put it in Harper’s Bazaar in 2014, flashed a nasty headline “shocked and slapped and embarrassed” her. And she doesn’t even have a Twitter account.

Hathahate rose to an all-time high in 2013, after she took the stage to accept an acting Oscar for her work in Les Mis, and joyfully whispered, “It’s come true!” It’s simple and unnecessary. However, vitriol hit her in return, completely out of proportion to the awkwardness of the line.

Now, Zegler is creating his own Oscar buzz. As María, she was called “definitely the biggest breakout star of the year” by Diversity, with The Hollywood Reporter praised her on-screen presence for “a flair that made her seem like she was floating”. Ahead of February 8, when the nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced, Zegler’s name has been splashed around in the salad bowls of possible candidates for the Best Actress race. most colorful.

Hers will be an uphill battle against a set of age-old titans likely armed with the likes of Kidman, Colman, Stewart, and Gaga. Furthermore, despite winning the Golden Globe, Zegler completely Abandoned by the Screen Actors Guild earlier this month — and no artist has ever won an Academy Award for Best Actress without a SAG nomination.

But, if you can imagine, she could still be the first. If she’s nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Oscars, Zegler will be the youngest Latina nominee ever. Name her win, she will be the youngest all-round winner, breaking the record that the actress Marlee Matlin has been held for 34 years. Matlin is 21 years and 218 days old when she holds the golden statue in her hand; Zegler will be 20 years 328 days.

And if you can imagine it, it’s not too hard to imagine what people would say after that. It’s an unfortunate reality of the internet we live in today: whenever someone feels beautiful, witty, and bright, there’s always someone waiting to try and rip them off.