Rachel Zegler has been offered the opportunity to present at the Oscars, following the recent revelation that the star had not been invited to the ceremony. While her appearance in West Side Story did not unfortunately earn her Academy recognition, Spielberg’s take on the beloved musical received a number of Oscar nominations including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Zegler's co-star, Ariana DeBose (who plays Anita.) However, despite Zegler’s lead role within the film, the star recently revealed that she was unfortunately not invited to the 94th Oscars ceremony and would instead “root for West Side Story from [her] couch.” This revelation caused considerable uproar on social media, with many expressing their disappointment at Zegler’s absence from the event.
However, THR has now exclusively revealed that Zegler has since been invited to present at the Oscars ceremony on March 27. A presenter role is a considerably more prestigious honor, as it would see Zegler take the stage and present an award on behalf of the Academy. While few other details were given, it’s understood that Zegler’s filming schedule is now in the process of rearranged in order for the star to attend.
Zegler has truly hit the ground running with her impressive resume of upcoming projects post-West Side Story. Set to appear in the highly anticipated Shazam! Fury of the Gods later this year in a role that will see her play the sister of both Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, Zegler is also currently in the process of shooting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney’s latest live-action remake of one their classic fairy tales.
While the Academy's reasoning for Zegler's new invitation wasn't stated, it's certainly likely that the subsequent social media storm that followed Zegler's announcement would have been hard to ignore. As for now, here’s hoping Zegler is able to make it work with her current schedule, as her last-minute addition is likely to be incredibly exciting news for those who rallied for the young star to attend this years Oscars.
Source: THR