Rachel Zegler says being asked about Ansel Elgort allegations was a ‘gut punch’
‘I reverted back to this brain space I was in June of 2020, when the accusation surfaced... Those days were some of the worst mental health days I’ve ever had,’ she said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rachel Zegler has spoken about the difficulty of answering questions about allegations of sexual assault against her co-star Ansel Elgort while doing press for West Side Story.
In June 2020, Elgort was accused of sexual assault by a woman who identified herself only as Gabby. In a Twitter post, she alleged the actor assaulted her when she was 17 and he was 20. The allegations, which Elgort denied, came to light after West Side Story wrapped filming.
Zegler – who played Maria opposite Elgort’s Tony – told Elle magazine in a new profile that she didn’t understand why she was the one having to answer for her co-star “even though the person in question was present”. Elgort only took part in group interviews around the movie’s release.
“It was a real gut punch, honestly,” Zegler said of answering for her male co-star. “I reverted back to this brain space I was in June of 2020, when the accusation surfaced... Those days were some of the worst mental health days I’ve ever had.
“I was sitting there having just turned 19, on the precipice of what was promised to be the biggest moment in my life, and was being held accountable [by the public] for accusations that not only had nothing to do with me but were made about a situation that was said to have occurred [five] years prior to when I had met and worked with this person.
“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.”
Zegler continued to say: “I really don’t have anything to do with this conversation, and I’m looking forward to moving past it.”
In her post, Gabby claimed she had messaged Elgort as a fan, after which he sent her his private Snapchat account and they met up.
“Instead of asking me if I wanted to stop having sex knowing it was my first time and I was sobbing in pain and I didn’t want to do it,” she wrote, “the only words that came out of his mouth were, ‘We need to break you in.’”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Gabby alleged that she suffers from PTSD and panic attacks because of the alleged incident. “I WASN’T there in that moment mentally,” she wrote. “I disassociated myself and just felt like my mind was gone I was in shock.”
Elgort has strongly denied the accusations, saying that they shared a “brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship”. “I have never and would never assault anyone,” the actor wrote in a June 2020 post.
“As I look back at my attitude,” he wrote, “I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry.”
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.