The Academy has apparently made an oh-so-pretty baffling decision: not inviting the star of West Side Story to the Oscars.
Rachel Zegler, who plays Maria in the Oscar-nominated West Side Story, revealed on Instagram she hasn't been invited to next week's awards ceremony. When a commenter said they were looking forward to seeing what Zegler wears on Oscar night, she replied, "I'm not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend's flannel."
Zegler's followers expressed confusion that she hasn't been invited considering she's one of the leads of West Side Story, a film nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. In another comment, in fact, Zegler suggested she unsuccessfully attempted to secure an invitation, writing, "I have tried it all but it doesn't seem to be happening."
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The Oscars this year will have an audience of about 2,500 people in the Dolby Theater, which seats over 3,300 people, according to The New York Times. Zegler isn't nominated for Best Actress, but she previously attended awards ceremonies before the Oscars like the British Academy Film Awards despite not receiving a personal nomination. Her West Side Story co-star Ariana DeBose, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, is expected to attend the Oscars.
With the Oscars a week away, Zegler expressed hope the situation could change.
"I will root for West Side Story from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did 3 years ago," she wrote. "I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that's how it goes sometimes, I guess. Thanks for all the shock and outrage — I'm disappointed, too. But that's okay. So proud of our movie."
Zegler's exclusion was just the latest revelation about the 2022 Oscars that sparked heavy criticism, and The Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg summed up the general reaction by tweeting, "I'm sorry ... WHAT THE FLYING F--K IS GOING ON HERE?!"
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