‘West Side Story’ stars Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose on how they ‘reinterpreted’ the timeless story for Steven Spielberg film

The women of “West Side Story” feel pretty great about their reimagined version of the timeless musical.

Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose love the way their new movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, updates the story about a white boy and Puerto Rican girl whose romance exacerbates a bitter feud between rival gangs in 1950s New York.

“Classics are meant to be reinterpreted for a new generation, for any generation, and quite frankly any culture,” DeBose, who plays Anita, told the Daily News.

“Our film does that so beautifully by expanding the social awareness within (screenwriter) Tony Kushner’s adaptation of the screenplay. You really get to know what is really going on in these communities, why these two groups are angry, which is something I don’t believe the 1961 film actually made very clear.”

The new “West Side Story,” in theaters Friday, is the second full-length film adaptation of the iconic Broadway show. It shares many elements with the original Oscar-winning movie, featuring songs like “America” and “I Feel Pretty” while showcasing the violent turf war between the Jets and the Sharks.

But the new film allowed its cast to bring fresh takes to their characters. Zegler stars as Maria, a love-struck Puerto Rican teenager who was portrayed in the previous film by a white actress, Natalie Wood.

“Being the first Latina to play Maria on screen is a huge honor and also a huge responsibility, so the accurate depiction of Latin joy was very important,” Zegler, who has Colombian roots, told The News.

“Getting to sing ‘I Feel Pretty,’ being a Latina on screen, is something I can’t even really put into words. I really hope that young people everywhere are able to watch that and relate, and know that it’s OK to relate and that it’s safe to relate. Please, feel pretty. Feel beautiful. Sing about it. Talk about it.”

“West Side Story” marks the first film role for the 20-year-old Zegler, who was a theater-loving student at Immaculate Conception High School in Bergen County, New Jersey, when she answered a Twitter casting call. Her audition tape included a performance of “I Feel Pretty” in Spanish, and she ultimately beat thousands of applicants to play Maria.

Her character’s forbidden relationship with Ansel Elgort’s Tony is the driving force in the story, which is inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

“It’s very different to walk these streets that I’ve called home for 20 years and see my face plastered on everything. It’s very, very weird,” Zegler said with a laugh.

“It’s just a testament to my upbringing here in New York. I’ve loved being here my whole life and I cannot believe that I get to represent all facets of myself, in being a New York/New Jersey person and getting to film this movie in New York and New Jersey, but also being Latina and getting to represent that side of myself as well. It’s a huge honor, and I feel like I won the lottery.”

DeBose, meanwhile, is a Broadway veteran and original cast member of the “Hamilton” ensemble. She cherished working with Spielberg, a three-time Oscar winner.

“He was so cute when he came up to me and was like, ‘This is my first musical and I’m nervous.’ And I was like, ‘That’s good.’ If you’re not nervous, you’re not ready. He cares so, so intensely,” DeBose, 30, said.

“I was really heartened that we actually had a rehearsal process for this film. It’s fairly common knowledge he does not really like to rehearse traditionally, but the fact that we rehearsed for two months on these ginormous dance sequences, it allowed us to try things, to fully develop these numbers, to change, sculpt, create new ones.”

DeBose’s Anita is roommates with Zegler’s character, and the girlfriend of the Sharks’ leader. The role was performed in the 1961 movie by Rita Moreno, who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress.

DeBose, who has Afro-Puerto Rican heritage, brought her own interpretation to the character.

“By virtue of being a Black woman, it informs this particular portrayal,” DeBose said. “She walks through the world a little differently. I think Tony was really brave in allowing that to inform parts of this script in Anita’s journey, and I’m very, very proud of that.”

The stars believe the themes in “West Side Story” remain timely more than six decades after the show’s creation.

“The tragedy of it is the audience can see that if these two groups would just talk to each other, they could find a solution, but the characters can’t see it,” DeBose said. “It’s depressing, because that very thing right there is what makes the story relevant to today, because it’s what we’re doing to each other.”

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