New Jersey’s Rachel Zegler wins Golden Globe for ‘West Side Story’

"Have you met my good friend Maria? The craziest girl on the block. You’ll know her the minute you see her, she’s the one who is in an advanced state of shock."

And why is that?

Because she just won a Golden Globe!

New Jersey native, Rachel Zegler, won the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy at Sunday’s untelevised Golden Globe awards.

A Hackensack native, Zegler is a born-and-raised Jersey girl who was cast as the lead role of Maria in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of "West Side Story" when she was only 16. She was one of over 30,000 applicants who auditioned for the part.

Luckily, Zegler had already been playing the part of Maria at the Bergen Performing Arts Center, so the role was a natural fit.

As someone who has been a fan of Zegler since she was a teenager recording herself singing covers in her parents' bathroom, I’m very excited for this much deserved praise and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Her upcoming projects include "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" and a live-action version of "Snow White."

Zegler wasn’t the only one to get some well-deserved praise at the Globes. The movie itself won Best Picture Musical or Comedy and her costar, Ariana DeBose ("Schmigadoon," "Hamilton," "The Prom"), won the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Side note: You can see DeBose put her comedic skills on display on this week’s episode of "Saturday Night Live," where she will be the host alongside musical guest Bleachers.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.