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Rachel Zegleris explaining how being asked about costarAnsel Elgort’s sexual assault allegations was a “real gut punch” for her while promoting her debut role inWest Side Story.
Zegler, 20, and Elgort, 28, played the romantic leads in the reimagining of the movie musical, which finally hit theaters in December after filming wrapped in fall 2019 and the theatrical release was postponed due to the pandemic.
Speaking withELLEfor the magazine’s May 2022 issue, Zegler recalled having to answer questions posed to her about accusations made against Elgort.
Elgortresponded in a statement at the time, saying he has “never and would never assault anyone,” and that they had a “brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship.”
Steven Spielberg’sWest Side Story, in which Elgort plays the lead Tony, was filmed prior to the allegations being made public. The musical hit theaters in December after being postponed due to the pandemic. Elgort participated in group interviews to promote the project, and he attended the red carpet withlongtime girlfriend Violetta Komyshan.
“With no thought to the fact that I was also 17 when I met this person, 17 when I worked with them, 17 and 18 when I had to do love scenes,” she added.
Neil Mockford/FilmMagic
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Zegler, whowill play Snow White in Disney’s upcominglive-action movie, clarified, “I really don’t have anything to do with this conversation, and I’m looking forward to moving past it.”
“[There is] inherent discomfort that comes with that realization that there are tons of people who think that you have to answer for the actions of an adult male who can speak for himself. It is so wildly disappointing at every turn, no matter how you slice it,” she explained. “No matter how many times I’ve tried to justify people’s concern when it comes to me in my brain, but then realizing that it comes from a place of me having to answer for that, and not them actually caring about whether or not I was okay, was really hurtful.”
“And also paying no mind when it came to the conversation between myself and these other incredible women in my cast, without any thought process to our experiences as women in the industry who constantly find ourselves in close encounters with men in power, and a very iconic woman in Hollywood who has spoken about her experience with sexual assault,” she said, seemingly referencing costarRita Moreno.
Zegler added of the woman who accused Elgort: “In the grand scheme of things with this woman who has come forward with these allegations, I cannot imagine what she had to go through. If I’m sitting here thinking that those days were traumatizing for me, I don’t pretend to know. I could never know.”
Reps for Elgort did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Amy Sussman/Getty
The woman said she initially chose not to come forward with her allegations but she decided to speak out so she could “finally heal.” She wrote, “Years later I have ptsd, I have panic attacks I go to therapy. Finally I’m ready to talk about it and finally heal.” She also alleged that she “didn’t tell anyone because [Elgort] said it could ‘ruin his career.’ "
In aHollywood Reportercover story, published in January, Zegler addressed the allegations against her costar.
“We made a movie two and a half years ago, and a lot has gone on in the world since then. A lot has changed very publicly, and privately as well. There’s been a lot of awakening,” she told the outlet. “You just hope that the people involved are okay, that they are asked in a respectful manner and that they are given the opportunity to answer for themselves.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
