Rachel Zegler paid a loving tribute to prolific first assistant director Adam Somner, with whom she worked on Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story, following his death ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend.
“i had the honor of making west side story with adam somner when i was seventeen years old,” she began on her Instagram Story. “and with so much grace and love, he lifted me up and refused to let me stumble as i navigated the world of filmmaking. i could not have been in better hands.”
As the Y2K actress mentioned, the musical remake marked her film debut and catapulted her into the spotlight. Since then, the powerhouse singer has taken to Broadway opposite Kit Connor in a revival of Romeo + Juliet, led a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy and taken on the role of Disney princess with Snow White, due for release in 2025.
“long story short, i loved him. as did everyone who ever got to work with him. he was the kindest, the most efficient, the wackiest, and he was the best at his job,” she continued in the captioned post, featuring a black-and-white video of the two embracing on set. “it is not fair that he won’t get to do more. so much love to all of his family and all who got the honor of working with him. i never took it for granted and now i will take it with me forever.”
The Shazam! star concluded, “adam somner, you legend. i miss you already.”
Somner, an Oscar-nominated producer who was among the most in-demand ADs in the business, died at age 57 on Nov. 27 from anaplastic thyroid cancer. He is credited on more than 75 features, short films and music videos, becoming the go-to for renowned filmmakers like Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ridley Scott, Alejandro G. Iñárritu and James Mangold.
These directors were among those who paid tribute to their right hand.
Mangold joined Zegler in paying tribute to his collaborator, writing on X alongside a shot from Ford v. Ferrari and the two on set: “To know Adam Somner was to love him. And to work at his side was an honor, a masterclass and a lesson in how an Assistant Director can make their title wildly insufficient. He made a chaotic set run smooth and, on listless ones, created energy. He inspired his directors (some of the best ever + me) to be their best — he always found us a way to get what we needed — and sometimes reminded us of something wonderful we didn’t think of. He will be missed profoundly but lived the kind of life for which we all aspire. He made a huge difference at the highest levels of his craft — was a born leader — and did all this while being passionate, charming and hilarious. I’lll always remember Adam strutting about the runway of Ontario Airport at magic hour with myself and my DP Phedon racing behind him our actors in tow as we got this scene in shot half an hour as the down went down. God speed, Governor.”
