Female ‘West Side Story’ Actresses Comment on Ansel Elgort Sex Assault Allegations

The women cast members of Steven Spielberg’s movie musical ‘West Side Story’ told The Hollywood Reporter how they felt about the June 2020 sexual assault allegations charged against their co-star Ansel Elgort.

A woman identifying herself only as the name Gabby accused the actor in a Twitter post of sexually assaulting her in 2014 when she was 17, and Ansel Elgort was 20. Elgort denied the allegations and claims the entire relationship was consensual.

Actress Rachel Zegler, who played Maria in West Side Story, said that “a lot has gone on in the world” since the Steven Spielberg movie was made and “A lot has changed very publicly, and privately as well,” Zegler said, ““There’s been a lot of awakening. 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.”

Zegler also said that nobody really knows what’s going on in anyone’s head, “Only the people who were involved in that situation know what actually went down.”

Another female West Side Story actor also explained she they felt about the sexual assault allegations against Elgort. Rita Moreno, who also starred in the original 1961 ‘West Side Story, lamented “I think it would have been absolutely horrendous and wrong for anyone to take sides in that matter. It’s not for me to make those judgments”.

“Gabby” said that she has suffered from panic attacks and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of the sexual assault when was w minor and a virgin, explaining that the “only words that came out of his mouth” were, ‘We need to break you in’.

In a since-deleted Twitter post Gabby said Elgort was aware it was her first time having sex, although she was “sobbing in pain” and said she did not want to have sex with him. “I didn’t think he’d ever see my dm I was just a kid and was a fan of him,” Gabby typed in the post.