In just a few weeks, Rachel Zegler will make her DC debut in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Zegler stars as Anthea, one of the three Daughters of Atlas, alongside Lucy Liu’s Kalypso and Helen Mirren’s Hespera. But before coming aboard as one of the sequel’s villains, Zegler (via Slash Film) originally auditioned for Supergirl in The Flash, a role that eventually went to Sasha Calle.
“I read for Rich [Delia], who was our casting director, and he originally had come to me with Supergirl for Flash, and I was not right for it,” said Zegler. “He was like, ‘You know what, I’ve got a character in mind for you for Shazam!. They’re looking at X, Y, Z. We would love it if you came in and read.'”
RELATED: David F. Sandberg Calls Shazam! 2 a ‘Mini-Avengers Movie’
Zegler took the meeting and went through rounds of auditions before reaching a chemistry test with one of the stars in the film. When it came down to choosing Anthea, Zegler credits her award-winning, breakthrough performance for helping to secure her role in Fury of the Gods.
“So I read on Zoom,” continued Zegler. “Obviously, the era of Zoom is isolation, pandemic era. Then I went back in, and I read for David Sandberg, and then for the last time, I had a chemistry read with Jack Dylan Grazer. The story goes that Jack picked me. That Peter Safran, our producer, turned to him and was like, ‘Which one did you like the best, Jack?’ and he said, ‘Well, she’s Maria in West Side Story, so we got to have her.’ Because Jack is a very big West Side Story fan. Jack loves West Side Story. So I have him to thank, really.”
Shazam! Fury of the Gods arrives in theaters on March 17.
Did DC make the right call by having Zegler in Shazam! 2 instead of The Flash? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Shazam: The World’s Mightiest Vol. 1
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
