Rachel Zegler, Dreaming of Her ‘Star Wars’ Debut in ‘The Mandalorian’ — and So Are Some Fans
Disney may not have to search in a galaxy far, far away for the next star of The Mandalorian or future films. West Side Story actor, Rachel Zegler, is a Star Wars fan with her sights set on this magical and mythical universe.
Here’s what she had to say about Gina Carano’s removal from The Mandalorian.
Gina Carano has been removed from the Disney+ original series, ‘The Mandalorian’
As a friend of the Mandalorian and his sidekick Grogu, Cara Dune, portrayed by Carano, appeared in several episodes of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. However, after several transphobic remarks from the actor, she has been removed from the Star Wars universe.
“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” the company said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
This character played a major role in both the first and second seasons of The Mandalorian. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cara Dune wasn’t set to appear in the next Star Wars series, a Boba Fett spinoff inspired by the character’s appearance in The Mandalorian.
Rachel Zegler is ready to have a role in the ‘Star Wars’ series
For both branding and merchandising reasons, as well as for future productions in the galaxy far, far away, fans are looking for another actor to portray the character.
Now, Twitter believes they’ve found the perfect person — that actor from Steven Spielberg’s upcoming movie musical, West Side Story. When news broke of Carano’s removal, Zegler was sure to chime in, stating she was ready to take on the role.
“I may not be built. I may not be the right age. but what I am is available,” Zegler replied. Her tweet earned over 3,000 likes from fans. There’s no word regarding who will replace Carano in The Mandalorian, or if Zegler will have a future role in the Star Wars universe.
Rachel Zegler is a fan of everything ‘Star Wars’
Aside from being a fan of musical theater, Zegler is an unapologetic Star Wars fan. On Star Wars Day during 2020, the actor tweeted several magical pictures from Hollywood Studios’ Galaxy’s Edge, captioning the photos, “may the fourth be with you. Star Wars will always bring me the most joy.”
In 2019, when the actor shared her best impressions on Twitter, she was sure to include her version of Daisy Ridley as Rey from the sequel trilogy and even screaming R2-D2 in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
Technically, as María in West Side Story, this actor already worked for Disney, the same company that overseas Lucasfilm and Star Wars productions like the Disney+ original. Although it was delayed about a year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Spielberg movie musical is set to premiere in theaters Dec. 10, 2021.
