UPDATE (03/22): West Side Story star Rachel Zegler has finally secured her invite to the 2022 Oscars. According to , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has asked the actress to host this year’s show.
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Rachel Zegler, who plays the lead role of Maria in the Best Picture-nominated film West Side Story, says she was not invited to the Oscars, which were scheduled for Sunday, March 27. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has not returned Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
“I’ve tried everything but it doesn’t seem to be working,” Zegler wrote on Instagram in response to a fan curious about her Oscars red carpet look. “I’ll be cheering on West Side Story from my couch and be proud of the work we did so tirelessly three years ago.”
Winner of seven awards at the 2022 Academy Awards, West Side Story joins Power of the Dog and Dune as the leader of this year’s Oscar nominees. Nominations include Best Director for Steven Spielberg, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Ariana DeBose.
“I’m hoping for a last minute miracle and a personal celebration of our film, but hey, I guess that’s how it goes sometimes,” Zegler continued. “Thanks for all the shock and outrage – I’m disappointed too. But that’s okay. So proud of our film.”
Less than two years ago, the Academy announced new diversity and inclusion standards for Best Picture Oscar eligibility. Part of the newly established criteria requires that films being considered for the category must meet two of four standards: on-screen performance, themes and narratives; creative leadership and project team; industry access and opportunities; and audience development.
The 2022 Oscars will be the first ceremony to include these standards, although meeting the inclusion thresholds will not be required until 2024. The standard for on-screen portrayal, themes and narratives requires that at least one of the leading actors or significant supporting actors from the film be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group; the total cast of the ensemble consists of 30 percent actors from at least two underrepresented groups; and/or the main theme of the film’s plot or narrative focuses on underrepresented groups.
In West Side Story, Spielberg brings the 1957 stage musical of the same name to the big screen. While rival street gangs in 1950’s New York City’s Upper West Side – the Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks – cause trouble with their mutual disdain, hapless lovers Tony (Ansel Elgort) and María (Zegler) fall in love despite their respective affiliations.