Rachel Zegler, the star of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar nominated West Side Story, recently revealed that she was not invited to attend the 94th Academy Awards. Following internet backlash over the decision, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited Zegler to be a presenter at the ceremony, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What’s Happening:
- This past Sunday, Zegler posted a series of images on her personal Instagram account along with the caption “a quarter of the year well spent.” In the comments section, a user wrote: “Can’t wait to see what you’ll be wearing on Oscar night.” Zegler responded, writing: “I'm not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel.”
- Following initial internet backlash, Zegler thanked her fans for the support in the following tweet:
- While West Side Story is nominated for Best Picture, among other nominations, Zegler herself is not nominated in any category, so technically the Academy was not under any obligation to invite her, nor was Disney was under any obligation to allocate one of its tickets for her.
- The likely reason for her lack of an invite originally was due to less tickets being offered to studios than is the norm, due to COVID-19 protocols.
- Many fans thought both the organization and the studio should have made sure that the star of a Best Picture nominee was at the ceremony in one capacity or another.
- The efforts paid off, as Zegler will be presenting a category at the Oscars ceremony.
- The 20-year-old Latina actress is currently in London shooting Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White. Efforts are being undertaken to rearrange the film’s shooting schedule to enable her to be at the Oscars.