Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story was nominated for seven Oscars, but one of its two leads was not invited to the Academy Awards ceremony.
Over the weekend, Rachel Zegler responded to a fan who said they couldn’t wait to see what she was wearing on Oscars night.
She responded that she would be wearing sweatpants and her boyfriend’s flannel because she wasn’t invited.
That caused a huge stir in people wondering how one of the leads of a movie nominated for a Best Picture nomination wouldn’t get an Oscars invitation.
That has all changed.
Rachel Zegler invited to Oscars
Rachel Zegler posted a series of photos of herself on Instagram with the caption, “a quarter of the year well spent.”
The first one had her in a beautiful blue dress, which caused the fan to ask about her possible Oscar dress.
In response, Rachel was simply honest in saying she wasn’t invited, so there wouldn’t be a dress.
It never came across like Rachel was complaining about the Oscars, but only noting facts. However, between the fans rising up to defend her and the media uproar, she is now heading to the Oscars.
She even spoke out when the controversy erupted and said she never intended to create a stir by honestly answering a fan’s question.
“My goodness, folks!! appreciate all the support, i really really do. we live in such unprecedented times, and a lot of work behind the scenes goes into making movie magic happen. that goes for film productions (like the one I am so lucky to be currently shooting in london) and awards shows alike,” she wrote on Twitter. “let’s all just respect the process and i’ll get off my phone.”
In even bigger news, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that she is going to be a presenter at the awards.
The 20-year-old Latina actress is in London, filming a live-action version of Snow White, but production will allow her time to come to America to appear at the Oscars.
Rachel is not nominated for her role in West Side Story
Rachel Zegler wasn’t invited to the Oscars, and there was no guarantee she would receive an invitation.
The Oscars are only required to invite people nominated for awards, and they allocate tickets for studios. The studio chose not to invite Zegler.
The fact that non-actors Shaun White and Tony Hawk will be presenting awards rubbed some people the wrong way, and the controversy grew to the point where the Oscars decided to invite Zegler anyway.
West Side Story was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose), Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Directing for Spielberg.
The Oscars will air on Sunday night, March 27, at 8/7c on ABC.