RITA MORENO APPROVES OF SPIELBERG’S REMAKE OF WEST SIDE STORY
Speaking of long careers, let’s not overlook Rita Moreno, 89, who won an Oscar for her 1961 performance as Anita in West Side Story (of course she went on to win an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony too, for various projects.) A documentary of Rita’s life showed at Sundance this year and it includes a sordid but juicy story about her affair with Marlon Brando. In the 90’s, we used to run into Rita every time a cool shop on Sunset Strip had a sale on Martin Margiela clothing – luckily we weren’t the same size. A special role was written for her in Steven Spielberg’s new version of West Side Story, and surprisingly, she loves the new version. We cannot imagine remaking a perfect movie (for better or worse, the film inspired us to have a lifelong obsession with Hispanic men.)
Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA