Replying to a comment on her latest Instagram post that read, “Can’t wait to see what you’ll be wearing on Oscar night,” Rachel wrote, “I’m not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel (sic).”
The news sparked a wave of outrage on social media from fans since Rachel was the female lead in West Side Story, which had been nominated for the Oscars under several categories.
She added another comment later: “Idk y’all, I have tried it all, but it doesn’t seem to be happening. I will root for West Side Story from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did three years ago. 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 (sic).”
Rachel made her acting debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the stage musical. Her portrayal kicked off the awards season by winning best actress at the National Board of Review, making her only the second Latina to ever win the prize (behind Fernanda Montenegro in Central Station, 1998) and the youngest.
She also won the Golden Globe for lead actress in a comedy or musical, along with the film triumphing in best comedy or musical.
Rchel shared a tweet later on Sunday that read, “Appreciate all the support, I really really do. We live in such unprecedented times and a lot of work behind the scenes goes into making movie magic happen (and) awards shows, like, Let’s all just respect the process and I’ll get off my phone (sic).”
In February, the Academy announced a reduction in seating capacity for the Dolby Theatre, which can typically hold 3,300 individuals. It is speculated that only 2,500 guests are being invited due to COVID-19 concerns and as part of an effort to keep attendees safe.
As a result, the Academy also did not hold its annual lottery for the nearly 10,000 person membership to attend. That area will be reduced to around 600, with the main level holding around 212 attendees. There are approximately 216 individual nominees for this year’s Oscars, and all nominees, with their guests, presenters and performers, will be seated on the main level. All other attendees will sit in the mezzanine.
Each nominated individual receives a plus one to the ceremony, for each category in which they are nominated.
The Academy has announced a slew of presenters for this year’s telecast, which includes Kevin Costner, Lady Gaga, Youn Yuh-jung, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Zoe Kravitz, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong’o, John Travolta, Mila Kunis, Naomi Scott, and Wesley Snipes, with more to come.