Rachel Zegler recalls trying not to ‘tear up’ filming for Steven Spielberg

Rachel Zegler’s first day on set for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story was memorable one.

On Saturday, the Hunger Games star re-shared a throwback clip circulating X (previously Twitter) of a dreamy solo shot of her in the romance drama musical.

“That time it was my first day on set and Steven Spielberg said ‘whatever you do don’t blink,’” the emerging actress captioned the post, playfully recalling Spielberg’s unique directive during the filming of that particular scene.

The clip showed Zegler’s character, Maria, wide-eyed and hazy as she gracefully walked toward the camera in her white frock and red belt.

“Imagine Janusz Kaminski putting a whole light in your face and you have to A) not blink, B) not tear up, and C) not die because it’s your first day on your first movie ever,” she wrote in a follow-up tweet, shouting-out the movie’s cinematographer.

“This is why I won the golden globe. My eyeballs of steel,” she quipped in a third tweet.

West Side Story marked Zegler’s acting debut, since which she has had more breakthrough roles in Snow White and the Hunger Games prequel.

Zegler’s performance in West Side Story garnered critical acclaim, earning her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical the following year.