West Side Story star Rachel Ziegler was invited to the Oscars after all

It looks like Rachel Ziegler, who plays Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, is going to the Oscars.

Invited to be a host at the Academy Awards, Disney is working to rearrange the production schedule on its current project, a live-action version of Snow White, according to two people briefed on the matter. . They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid conflict with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Oscars.

How to Put the Rankings Together offers a glimpse into how Hollywood gears can grind at times.

It all started on Sunday, when Ziegler, 20, posted a photo of her in a blue dress on Instagram. Follow hung, “I can’t wait to see what she’ll wear to Oscar night.”

Ziegler responded that she did not receive an invitation to attend the ceremony, during which West Side Story won seven awards. The concert will be broadcast Sunday on ABC from Los Angeles. ABC is owned by Disney, which released the film last year.

She wrote, “I’m not invited, so my sweatpants and flannel are my friend.”

She added that she would support the film from her couch. “I hope a last-minute miracle happens and I celebrate our movie in person,” she wrote, “but hey, that’s how it goes sometimes, I guess.”

The challenge involves more than just invitations. Ziegler is filming Snow White in London, and her arrival at the Oscars and back from Disney will require reworking the schedules of hundreds of actors and crew. The film, whose schedule was already tight due to delays related to the coronavirus pandemic, has a production of $200 million.

A spokeswoman for the academy, which confirmed Ziegler’s addition to the list of applicants in a statement later Wednesday, declined to comment. A representative for Zegler did not respond to a request for comment.

And she said that Ziggler was not invited to the party fast response From her followers and others on social media, including Ross Tamblynwho played Reeve, the leader of the Gates Street gang, in the original movie “West Side Story” in 1961. They wondered why a lead actress in a movie that earned a Best Picture nomination wasn’t invited to the ceremony.

The film’s Oscar nominations include Best Picture and Best Director for Spielberg Best Supporting Actress Ariana Debus. Ziegler, who was not nominated for an Academy Award, won a Golden Globe for her role.

Vimal Patel Contribute to the preparation of reports.