West Side Story is nominated for seven Oscars at the upcoming Academy Awards this weekend, including Best Picture. But despite the musical being one of the year’s most popular releases on the awards circuit, its lead actress, Rachel Zegler, won’t be in attendance on the red carpet on Sunday.

Why? Well, because she didn’t receive an invite. 

Zegler, who made her feature-film debut as Maria in West Side Story alongside Ansel Elgort last year, has not only been lauded for her performance – she won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy and earned her nominations from critics’ associations across the country – but she’s been a red carpet staple this season.

In fact, just last week, Zegler attended both the BAFTAs and Critics Choice Awards alongside her co-stars Ariana DeBose and Mike Faist, topping best-dressed lists both times. 

Not only that, but many predicted the 20-year-old actress had a shot at a Best Actress Oscar nomination. But not only did she miss out on being recognised for her acting, she missed out on the guest list altogether. 

After a fan commented on one of Zegler’s Instagram posts that they can’t wait to see what she’ll be wearing on Oscars night, the actress replied, “I’m not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel.”

“Idk y’all, I have tried it all, but it doesn’t seem to be happening,” she wrote in response to another commenter who questioned why she wasn’t invited. “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,” she added. “I’m disappointed, too. But that’s okay.”

Following public outcry, Zegler took to Twitter to thank fans for their support, while adding “a lot of work behind the scenes goes into [award shows].” She ended her message by asking fans to “respect the process.”

As for how this process works, according to the Los Angeles Times, nominees each receive two tickets (but can request two more), as do presenters, and a sizable number of tickets are set aside for production teams, media and others who support the Academy. 

Studios reportedly also get a significant share of tickets, which, in theory, should be proportional to the number of nominations each project received. West Side Story is the third-most nominated movie (tied with Belfast) this year with seven, so surely there was enough to go around for the film’s literal lead actress to be given one. 

One Day at a Time showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett put it perfectly on Twitter: “How about the rare time that Latine people have a movie nominated for an OSCAR you invite the lead.” Here’s hoping the Academy got word and Zegler’s invite is in the post.