Oscars 2022: Rachel Zegler cracks joke about lack of invite while presenting award

‘Dreams really can come true... pretty fast, too’

Rachel Zegler cracked a joke about her lack of an invite to the 2022 Oscars while presenting the award for Achievement in Visual Effects.

The West Side Story star revealed last week that she had not received an invite to the ceremony, despite playing the lead in Steven Spielberg’s musical, which has seven nominations.

After a backlash on social media, the Academy invited Zegler to attend the ceremony as a presenter.

Before announcing the winner of the award, co-presenter Jacob Elordi said: “It’s definitely a little bit scary being up here. Growing up in Australia, I never thought I would stand up here on this stage.”

“And I never thought that I would be here six days ago,” said Zegler. “Dreams really can come true... pretty fast, too.”

You can follow along with our Oscars 2022 live blog here.

Click here for a list of the winners, updated live as the ceremony progresses.

Among the first winners on the night was West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose, who became the first openly queer woman of colour to win an acting Oscar, for her role in Steven Spielberg’s musical remake.

Jacob Elordi and Rachel Zegler at the Oscars 2022 (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Accepting the award, she said: “You see an openly queer woman of colour, an Afro-Latina, who found her strength and life through art. And that is, I think, what we’re here to celebrate. So if anyone has ever questioned your identity, I promise you this – there is indeed a place for us.”