Rachel Zegler invited to be a presenter at the Oscars after backlash

Rachel Zegler is going to the Oscars.

The 20-year-old star shocked fans at the weekend when she revealed she wouldn't be in attendance at the upcoming Academy Awards, despite having the lead role in Best Picture nominee West Side Story.

But the actress — who is currently in London filming Disney's live-action remake of Snow White — is "thrilled" to have been asked to present an award at Sunday's (March 27) ceremony, meaning she'll be at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to cheer on her movie.

Rachel thanked the "incredible team" working on Snow White who have shifted the filming schedule to allow her to attend.

She confirmed on Twitter: "Well folks, I can't believe I'm saying this but… see you on Sunday! The absolutely incredible team at @Disney and our Snow White producers worked some real-life magic, and I am thrilled to be able to celebrate my @westsidemovie fam at the Oscars."

"It's not lost on me that being able to shoot a film the scale of Snow White during Covid is not easy, and any adjustment to our schedule is no small sacrifice, and obviously a huge thank you to @TheAcademy @WillPackerProds for the presenter spot; I'm so excited to open that shiny envelope. I could not be more grateful to everyone who helped make this possible. Seriously. now, what to wear…"

Over the weekend, Rachel posted a series of images of herself on Instagram.

In response, one of her followers said: "Can't wait to see what you'll be wearing on Oscar night."

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Rachel then replied: "I'm not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend's flannel."

She later added: "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."

The confession prompted a backlash on social media, with fans pointing out that the likes of Tony Hawk and Shaun White have been asked to present at the awards show, while Rachel would watch the ceremony from home.

The actress subsequently addressed the controversy on Twitter.

She wrote on the micro-blogging platform: "My goodness, folks! 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. That goes for film productions (like the one I am so lucky to be currently shooting in London) and awards shows alike. Let's all just respect the process and I'll get off my phone."