Rachel Zegler was grateful for Shazam! Fury of the Gods chance

Rachel Zegler admits that 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' came at the perfect time in her career.

The 21-year-old star portrays Anthea in DC Extended Universe (DCEU) sequel and was grateful for the acting opportunity as filming began in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and before her breakout movie 'West Side Story' was released in late 2021.

Speaking at the Los Angeles premiere of the superhero film, Rachel told The Hollywood Reporter: "I needed a job. I'm being so serious. The reality was we were in the middle of a pandemic, and I was not working. I couldn't get a job for the life of me because 'West Side Story' hadn't come out yet.

"It was really hard to book work for me, so I was really excited when this came in my inbox. I love the first movie, and the fact that they even wanted me to come in for a callback, and then a chem read and then everything in between. I'm so lucky that I got this job."

The future of 'Shazam!' is not yet clear as new DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran make their mark at the studio but Zachary Levi will continue to give his all as the superhero.

The 42-year-old actor said: "My responsibility is just to show up and be the best Shazam that I can be, and I take that very seriously. I've known Peter for years, and James even longer, and I think they're going to be really great leaders. I think James is a very talented visionary person and so I'm looking forward to whatever that holds.

"I'm very happy with this movie. I hope it's not my last."