Rachel Zegler Calls for 'Less Hatred' After 'Hardest Year of My Life' Left Her 'Afraid for My Safety in Public'

The actress shared a message on Instagram for her 23rd birthday, reflecting on a "hard" year

Rachel Zegler is reflecting on a difficult year as she celebrates her birthday.

The actress, who turned 23 on May 3, shared a message on her Instagram Stories to mark her birthday.

"The door is shutting on 22 right now, and wow! what a hard year! If you've been online to any degree, you probably know why," she wrote. "i am so grateful for the opportunity to learn where the love in my life truly lies and to have gotten my dog."

"but I hope 23 holds a lot less hatred, a lot less being afraid for my safety in public, and a lot more understanding for growing up," she added.

The actress appeared in two movies in 2023: Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

"I also had a nice time bringing you all [The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes] and I hope you know that it will always be considered (along with the acquisition of my dog) one of the bright spots of what I consider to be the hardest year of my life. ... so far," Zegler wrote.

Related: Rachel Zegler Wishes Boyfriend Josh Andrés Rivera a Happy Birthday: 'So Lucky to Be Loved By Him'

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In a separate Instagram post, Zegler marked the occasion by simply writing, "wow! another birthday! #23," alongside a black-and-white photo of herself.

Zegler had a breakout role in Steven Spielberg's 2021 West Side Story movie musical, for which she won a Golden Globe Award. Back in December she spoke out about how she deals with toxic fan energy online while appearing on  Variety's Actors on Actors series with Halle Bailey.

Related: All About Rachel Zegler's Parents, Gina and Craig Zegler

“Choosing thankfulness and gratefulness is choosing peace,” Zegler said, while noting that she received significant online criticism after Disney announced she will star in its upcoming live-action Snow White.

"As much as you’d like to remind people verbally that being in the spotlight doesn’t absolve you of your humanity — that you’re allowed to have human moments — it doesn’t necessarily do what you want it to do. It fuels them more," she added at the time.

After the most recent Hunger Games movie, Zegler is expected to make her Broadway debut in a production of Romeo + Juliet alongside Kit Connor. She also costars with Jaeden Martell, Kyle Mooney, Alicia Silverstone and more in the comedy Y2K, which does not yet have a release date.

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