Rachel Zegler Is Going To The Academy Awards After All
The 94th Academy Awards are fast approaching; the ceremony will be this Sunday, March 27. As cinephiles likely know, some of the films that have garnered the most attention from the Academy (read: the most nominations) include "The Power of the Dog" with 12 nods, "Dune" with 10, and "Belfast" with seven (via Entertainment Weekly).
Tied with "Belfast" for a number of award nominations is "West Side Story," the Stephen Spielberg-directed updated adaption of the 1957 stage musical of the same name. The nominations for "West Side Story" include best picture, best director, best actress in a supporting role (for Ariana DeBose), and best cinematography (via Variety). Rachel Zegler, who tackles the lead role of Maria, did not receive a nomination, but she has received several others for the performance, even winning a Golden Globe. Still, seeing as she is the star of one of the biggest movies in this year's Oscars race, most viewers were likely expecting to see Zegler at the ceremony.
This is why it came as a surprise when Zegler revealed earlier week that she had not been invited to attend the Oscars. When a fan expressed excitement about what Zegler would wear to the Oscars in the comments of one of the breakout star's Instagram posts, she responded, "I'm not invited, so sweatpants and my boyfriend's flannel" (via IGN). She then elaborated that she was hoping for a "last-minute miracle" and was disappointed but would celebrate the film from her home, regardless. Well, it looks like Zegler has received her "last-minute miracle" after all.
Zegler will not only be at the Oscars, but she'll be a presenter, too
After Rachel Zegler revealed the fact that she had not been invited, fans spoke out on social media about the absurdity of not having the star of one of this year's biggest films in attendance. Many people also pointed out that the situation was made even more egregious by the Academy inviting people who aren't even in the film industry, such as Shaun White and Tony Hawk, to present but excluded Zegler.
Not only did fans speak out against the exclusion, so did a handful of those involved in the industry. Notably, Russ Tamblyn, who played Riff in the 1961 film adaptation of "West Side Story," wrote to the Academy on Twitter, saying, "As a voting member and the original Riff, let me say: It's your duty to find Rachel a seat at the Oscars. She STARS in ['West Side Story'] which is nominated across the board. When they say representation matters, this is what that means. Please do right by her."
In response to the outcry, the Academy has invited Zegler to present at this year's ceremony, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday. Outside of finally offering the invitation to the "West Side Story" star, the Academy has not publicly responded to the public response of their initial decision to exclude her.
Additionally, Zegler has not yet commented on the news of the late invitation. The last time she addressed the situation was on Twitter on Sunday when she thanked everyone who had spoken out in support of her. The actor wrote, "My goodness, folks!! Appreciate all the support. I really, really do."