“The male side is the white side, and it’s the Jets. “It really divides along gender lines,” says Kushner of his version. In the interpretation of Tony Kushner, to whom Spielberg turned to write the screenplay, it’s more than the story of star-crossed lovers caught in a gang war. West Side Story, of course, is a take on Romeo and Juliet, transported to 1950s New York City, with the white Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks standing in for the Montagues and the Capulets. Moreno played Anita in the 1961 film and Valentina - a newly created role - in the current version. She agrees: “We’ve definitely made progress, but that doesn’t mean we’ve come home, exactly.” Adds DeBose, the working stage actor turned ascendant star who favors direct yet nuanced responses: “This isn’t the moment that we stop doing the work we’re doing and pat ourselves on the back.” There’s always a ways to go.”Īt 90, Moreno - who completed her EGOT 24 years before Zegler was born - carries herself with the bearing of an industry legend who generates respect without demanding it, meaning that she feels no compunction getting “raucous,” as she puts it, with her younger colleagues. “If you don’t know what the best-case scenario is, how can you gauge where you’re at? Rita understands more than we can about what it was like then versus what it’s like now. “It’s hard to gauge not knowing what the fullest extent of a progression could be,” says Zegler. But all are game and capable of getting serious when it comes to talking about the evolution of art in the ongoing quest - or battle - for truer representation. Three years after their first meeting, the women are thick as thieves - or, as Moreno and DeBose are fond of saying, like Frick and Frack - prone to spontaneous outbursts and profanely funny digressions in both Spanglish and show tune. Oscar nominations could be on the horizon, with DeBose widely considered a frontrunner for a nod in the supporting actress race.Īnd with a seven-decade age gap between the returning icon and the relative newcomers, they represent a continuum of experiences of women and particularly Latinas in Hollywood, comprising a broad spectrum of perspectives the industry is still struggling to fully comprehend (just witness the conversations and think pieces around trending topics like colorism, #MeToo and “Latinx”).
Although the film has so far failed to overcome the pandemic box office downturn, all three are nominated for Critics Choice Awards, Zegler and DeBose have already won Golden Globes, and DeBose is additionally a Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. The three women have become the most celebrated performers in West Side Story, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the classic 1957 stage musical. It’s a lot.’ ” Moreno also dispensed a critical piece of wisdom: “You passed the audition. “She calmed me down and gave me the space to feel my feelings,” the younger actress says. “I was like, ( miming tears) ‘This is all so much!’ “Īfter DeBose gathered herself, Moreno invited her to lunch.
“It was the craziest compliment I’ve ever gotten,” says Zegler, now 20, laughing as she recalls Moreno’s rather unique praise of her vocal ability, “and then my mom’s crying, and then I look and Ariana’s hiding in the corner.”ĭeBose, 31, confirms the memory. The legend instantly launched into her signature catchphrase from the show - “Heyyy, you guyyys!” - and Zegler’s mother burst into tears.
#ANITA WEST SIDE STORY RITA MORENO SERIES#
Recovering from that doozy of an icebreaker, Zegler introduced her mom, who had learned English in the 1970s by watching Moreno on the educational children’s series The Electric Company. Meanwhile, Zegler, the high schooler turned leading lady, approached with her mother to shake Moreno’s hand, but Moreno already was familiar with the newcomer’s work: “Oh, your voice is so lovely, I shit a brick!” Taika Waititi: "Am I Allowed to Laugh at This?"
0 kommentar(er)
