The Academy Awards are undeniably a hot ticket. The storied awards show is famous for its fashions, its shocking moments, and its A-list celebrities. Yet, one celebrity was curiously absent from the invite list this year. Rachel Zegler, who made her big screen debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake, did not receive an invitation. After a fan commented on her Instagram, “Can’t wait to see what you’ll be wearing on Oscar night,” Zegler wrote, “I’m not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel.”
Zegler’s snub is a bizarre and frankly unheard-of omission. West Side Story earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Film studios with Best-Picture nominees are allotted an “undefined” number of tickets to the Oscars, which they offer to cast members of their nominated films. Presenters and nominees get their own tickets.
While Zegler wasn’t nominated for her own performance (nor was she invited as a presenter), it’s a given that the stars of a multi-nominated film would be in attendance. It’s a strange choice in an already controversial Oscars season, which saw producers choosing not to air a handful of technical awards like Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Sound, among others. Many celebrities took to social media to call out the snub, urging the Academy to find a seat for Zegler. It’s especially upsetting that Zegler, a Latina actress, was snubbed.
Zegler responded to the uproar on social media, tweeting, “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.” She added, “Let’s all just respect the process and I’ll get off my phone.” Many speculated that the culprit was reduced capacity due to COVID-19 precautions, but frankly, there’s no way the show cannot make room for Zegler.
In response to the backlash, the Academy quickly invited Zegler to the ceremony as a presenter. Zegler is currently in London filming Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, and the production is expected to rearrange the schedule to accommodate her.
(via THR, image: 20th Century Studios)
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