And the Cast of the New "West Side Story" Movie Is…

January 14, 2019

Something’s coming, I don’t know when

But it’s soon…maybe tonight?


Those iconic lyrics have basically been our #mood ever since we first heard a remake of the West Side Story film, directed by Steven Spielberg and choreographed by Justin Peck, was in the works. THE CASTING. THE CASTING WAS COMING.

Well, last night—after an extensive search process that focused on finding the best actors within the Puerto Rican/Latinx community—the WSS team finally revealed who’ll be playing Maria, Anita, Bernardo, and Chino (joining Ansel Elgort, who was cast as Tony last fall). And you guys: It is a truly epic group.

First, the danciest roles. Our new Anita is the unstoppable Ariana DeBose, whose impressive Broadway credits include the original cast of Hamilton (she was “The Bullet”) and Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, for which she earned a Tony nom last year. You already know how we feel about DeBose: She graced our July/August 2016 cover!

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Taking on Bernardo is David Alvarez, aka one of the original Billys in Billy Elliot on Broadway. Alvarez’s sensitive, nuanced, technically polished (he trained at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School) take on Billy stunned critics back in 2009. Afterward, he took some time off from performing to serve in the military. We’re eager to see how he’s grown and evolved as an artist.

Original “Billy Elliot” cast member David Alvarez performs “Electricity”

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Who’s Maria? That’d be 17-year-old Rachel Zegler, a high school student from New Jersey who’s about to be very, very famous. (Her Instagram following jumped by thousands overnight.) And playing Chino is Josh Andres Rivera, a true triple threat with a BFA from Ithaca College, who most recently appeared in the Hamilton national tour.

Congrats to all these talented artists!