When it was announced back in November 2018 that Rita Moreno would be starring in Steven Spielberg's reimagining of West Side Story, musical theater lovers and West Side Story enthusiasts around the world rejoiced.
Moreno starred in the original 1961 film, directed by Robert Wise and adapted by Jerome Robbins, as Anita, the girlfriend of Maria's (played by Natalie Wood) older brother Bernardo (George Chakiris). For her performance, Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In Spielberg's remake, the role of Anita is played by Broadway star Ariana DeBose.
For Moreno, scriptwriter Tony Kushner created the new role of Valentina specifically for her. Valentina is new to the world of West Side Story and did not appear in the 1957 Broadway show or in the 1961 film adaption.
She is the widow of Doc (Ned Glass), who features in the Broadway musical and the 1961 film. Doc is the owner of the candy store where the Jets hang out. In Spielberg's West Side Story, Valentina runs Doc's candy store and looks out for Tony (Ansel Elgort), the former leader of the Jets who is trying to stay out of trouble after spending a year in prison for assault.
Speaking to Parade, Moreno revealed at first she thought Spielberg was offering her a cameo role in the film, which she admitted she would have immediately turned down. Thankfully, that was not the case.
She said: "I remember saying to Steven, 'Look, if you're offering a cameo, I have to say no, right off the bat.' Playing a cameo when you've been a lead is just a distraction. All you're doing is distracting people. 'Oh, look who's there?'
"He said, 'No, no, no, no, no, no, it's not a cameo. It's a real part.' I said, 'OK, then I would like to read the script.' And that's how it happened. But I can tell you, going back to the past in the present—it's incredible."
Spielberg also made Moreno an executive producer, so she could help with the film's authenticity and help fix the insensitivities from the 1961 film.
For example, in the 1961 film, Moreno was forced to wear darker makeup to make her look more Puerto Rican despite her being the only Puerto Rican actor on set.
This time around, Spielberg has set out to right those wrongs, casting Latino men and women to play the Sharks.
Recalling her experience, Moreno told USA Today: "I remember saying to my makeup man once on the original West Side Story, 'Why do I have to wear such dark makeup? I'm not that color.' And he literally said to me, 'What, are you a racist?' He really said that and I was so astonished that I shut up because I didn't know what to say to that. If I said, 'No, I'm not a racist.' I feel he would not believe me, so I let it drop. But it was shocking."
She added, thankfully Spielberg and Kushner have "corrected all that stuff."
Speaking separately to Vanity Fair, Moreno said: "I am so proud every single Latino character is portrayed by a Latino actor, and that is very important because we are authentically showing what it means to be Latin.
"The representation of Latino and Hispanic performers in Hollywood has a long way to go, but we are starting to change that. There are so many talented people among Latinos, and Jennifer Lopez isn't the only one. We are everywhere!"
West Side Story is in theaters now.
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