VIDEO: WEST SIDE STORY Cast Talks Sondheim & More in Sirius XM Town Hall

The cast of West Side Story, including Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Rita Moreno, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez and Mike Faist, sat down for a SiriusXM Town Hall special hosted by SiriusXM's Jess Cagle.

The cast touched on the casting process, the creation of the film, and remembered the late Stephen Sondheim in the interview. SiriusXM's Town Hall with the cast of West Side Story will air on SiriusXM Stars (ch. 109) on Wednesday, December 8 at 3:00 pm ET with multiple rebroadcasts throughout the week. Watch clips below!

"West Side Story" tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 musical with an iconic score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents. The film is being directed by the legendary Stephen Spielberg with Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner penning the film's screenplay.

This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d'Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). Moreno - one of only three artists to be honored with Academy®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony® and Peabody Awards - also serves as one of the film's executive producers.

Photo Credit: Vivien Killilea, Videos Courtesy of SiriusXM Town Hall, SiriusXM's Jess Cagle.

Remembering Stephen Sondheim:

Elgort and Zegler discuss how they found out they were cast in the film:

Ariana DeBose on Playing Anita as "Unapologetically Black":

Rita Moreno discusses being a Puerto Rican Actress in the 1950s:

The cast discusses the historical context of the film: