How A Star is Made
25 Feb 2025 | Written by Parker Floris
YT: Rachel Zegler | rachel zegler reacts to the west side story (2021) trailer | 26/04/2021
A teenage girl sits on her bed, iPhone propped up on a stack of books. She presses record and starts to sing—just another cover uploaded to YouTube, lost in the endless feed. Years later, that same girl is announced as the new star of The Hunger Games.
In the era of traditional media, to capture a celebrity’s rise to fame, you would collect newspaper clippings, moments from rare tv appearances, and quotes from those close to them.
But what if you had access to their most intimate diary—a visual documentation of exactly how they came to where they are today?
Enter, the social media generation—today’s tribute, Rachel Zegler.
One of the first major waves that took over YouTube was the vlog. People recording their daily life—successes, failures, and everything in between.
As a child of the social media generation, Rachel was not unfamiliar to YouTube. For 10 years she has been posting song covers, later transitioning into dedicated vlogs—filmed on nothing more than her iPhone.
“Is it bizarre to think that today, Saturday, April 24th is my last day feeling like a normal human being? … My lawyer texted me last night and he was like ‘enjoy the last day of anonymity’. And I love my anonymity.”
Imagine a day-to-day chronicle of the Beatles' rise—every trial, every triumph.
“I don’t like to film myself crying. But I just wanted to explain why—the teaser trailer comes out tomorrow [for West Side Story]. I have very complicated feelings. But I just keep thinking about this channel and I keep thinking about the 14, 15, 16, 17-year-old girl who just used to stand on her bed and sing show tunes in hopes that someday this would happen—and she’s been through a lot since then—a lot of good and a lot of bad. I don’t know what, it just hit me an hour ago”
These videos are not filmed in a Vogue set under glamour lighting—they are filmed in her bedroom; just after exiting the shower; while bantering with friends on a rollercoaster—all of these moments forgotten to time in the era of traditional media—not today.
In no world would someone in her position volunteer to break down in tears in front of a full film crew, nor would she as a previously unknown performer be asked to do so. These intimate moments only to be captured in the off times, venting to the camera like it is her private diary.
This strips away the pedestal built by red carpets, premieres, and the Hollywood mystique. These vlogs, when filmed authentically, present the individual as who they are when not glammed up—how they are with their friends and that they too have laundry to fold.
So, what does this mean for the future of media and pop-culture?
As more young people begin to achieve success in their respective fields, we will have a detailed account of exactly how, and their in-the-moment reactions to every major milestone. These journeys no longer a mystery, rather something to be analysed and admired as pathways for other dreamers.
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