Rachel Zegler Jokes About Being Invited To The Oscars Last Minute

The "West Side Story" actor previously revealed she'd been left off the ceremony's guest list despite starring in a movie with seven nominations.
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Rachel Zegler isn’t taking her hard-won, if belated, invitation to the 2022 Academy Awards for granted.

The “West Side Story” star playfully alluded to her initial headline-making omission while taking the stage Sunday alongside actor Jacob Elordi to present the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

“Growing up in Australia, I never thought that I would stand on this stage,” said Elordi, who portrays Nate Jacobs in the HBO series “Euphoria.”

Ever the consummate pro, Zegler didn’t miss a beat.

“And I never thought that I’d be here six days ago,” she quipped. “Dreams really can come true. Pretty fast, too.”

A New Jersey native, Zegler made her big-screen debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story,” for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical.

Though Zegler didn’t receive an Oscar nod, “West Side Story” nabbed seven nominations including Best Picture. Earlier in the evening, Ariana DeBose won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Anita in the movie.

Last week, Zegler revealed on Instagram that she’d been left off the guest list for the Oscars.

“I’m not invited, so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel,” she commented in response to a fan who’d asked what she would be wearing to the ceremony.

“I will root for ‘West Side Story’ from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did 3 years ago,” she added, according to Deadline. “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.”

Rachel Zegler attended the 2022 Academy Awards in a custom Dior gown.
Rachel Zegler attended the 2022 Academy Awards in a custom Dior gown.
Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images

The revelation drew sizable outcry from fans and media outlets. By the end of the week, however, it appeared that the stars had aligned in Zegler’s favor, and she was announced as a presenter ― a development she later credited to Disney, which had “worked some real-life magic,” on Twitter.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight ahead of the Oscars ceremony, Zegler said she was surprised by the outpouring of support she’d received. The actor said she hadn’t expected the Academy to follow up with an invite.

“I kind of just let ... the chips go where they did because I was really overwhelmed with the response to it, because it was a comment I made on my own Instagram post,” she told ET. “You don’t really expect that to make the news the next day, and it was just a statement. But we’re here, we’re happy, we’re really thankful.”

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