Rita Moreno is a living legend. The Puerto Rican-born actress, singer, dancer and television star came to America as a child and has wanted to be a movie star since she saw her first film. Moreno not only became one – winning an Oscar in 1962 for “West Side Story” – but now a documentary, “Rita Moreno: just a girl who decided to go ahead”, directed by Mariem Pérez Riera, narrates his life and career.
The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week, traces Moreno’s life, starting with his 87th birthday party and going back to his childhood in Puerto Rico, his arrival in New York and his experience of meeting Louis B. Mayer at the Waldorf Astoria for a Hollywood contract. Moving to Los Angeles, Moreno takes on a number of “dark maiden” roles in films that use stereotypes about race, ethnicity and gender. She was unhappy, treated as a sexual object – or just an object in a production.
Eventually, she became a pioneer; Moreno is the only winner of Latinx EGOT.
“Rita Moreno: just a girl who decided to go ahead” brings interviews with the actress’s stars, including Justina Machado (“One day at a time”) and Morgan Freeman (“The Electric Company”), as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda , Eva Longoria, Whoopi Goldberg and Gloria Estefan, among others. Pérez Riera addresses Moreno’s abusive relationship with Marlon Brando, his abortion, his suicide attempt and his marriage to Leonard Gordon, who was not as perfect as people believed.
Pérez Riera’s candid documentary is also a love letter, emphasizing the unfiltered inspirational artist. (In the first few minutes, Moreno compares a banana to an elephant’s penis.) “Rita Moreno” details her activism, as well as her openness when talking about women’s issues, and the filmmaker peppered those moments with clips from various presentations and acceptance speeches.
Pérez Riera and Moreno talked to Salon about their fabulous documentary.
Mariem, we all have stories about watching Rita. What can you say about forming your interest in Rita’s life and career?
Mariem Pérez Riera: I’m from Puerto Rico and Rita is an icon on our island. I knew she was the first Puerto Rican to win an Oscar. Every Puerto Rican wanted a piece of it. She was an inspiration and that is what I – and many people – aspire to. When I became a filmmaker, I wrote a film, “Maldeamores”, [“Lovesickness”] and we wanted Rita to play one of the characters. We wrote to her. We haven’t been able to achieve it, but it has been an inspiration for a long time.
Can you talk about the choice of the interview subjects that you did to contextualize Rita’s experiences? I love the observation of an interviewee that Rita has “authority and honesty”, but also that Justina Machado calls Rita a “diva”, jokingly, and Eva Longoria shouts: “Hey, guys!” [Moreno’s famous shout from “Electric Company”]
Pérez Riera: I wanted those interviewed not to talk about Rita, or experiences with Rita, but about their own experiences. Eva talks about how in her career, she was also asked to play roles with an accent or “spice”. When I approached Eva, she said: “Sure, I want to be part of the documentary, but I don’t know Rita very well.” I said, “It’s more about your experience and what you went through, which shows me that what Rita went through is the same thing that is happening today.” Justina knows Rita well, and it’s great that she talks about her as a diva and someone who likes to shock people.
Rita, I love that you are so noisy!
Rita Moreno: Just ask Justina! She says I don’t have a filter and she never knows what I’m going to say. She makes me laugh. One of our favorite things about “One Day” is when Lydia and Penelope fight. We are so Puerto Rican – eyes shining, hands going! I love that Lydia is religious when it suits her. It’s hilarious when she talks about sex with her husband and has the picture of the Pope in her tiny room. It is such a Catholic thing!
The most moving and inspiring aspect of the document is watching you develop your self-esteem. Rita, can you talk about your outlook on life and how you are motivated?
Dark skinned: I don’t have to bring this out. It is a very important part of me and my DNA. I am one of those people who always see the glass half full. It’s who I am. The moment I was born, it was who I was. It would be nice to receive the credit, but it is there. I am an energetic and fun person. I love to make people laugh. I feel comfortable with people. It’s something I’ve had since I was a little girl. I used to dance for grandpa. He would put records – rumba or salsa – and say, “Dance Rosinita!” I loved. Because I loved to move and jump. But I also loved the attention and praise. I remember thinking, “This is good! I like it!”
That is why coming to America was a shock – it was so difficult for so long. I couldn’t understand why my mom thought this was the land of opportunity. I didn’t see any of that. I saw her working as a slave in two jobs at the same time. We had difficult times. When I started going to school, neighborhood gangs were forming and it was the children I met on the way to school. So, I had to find a new route, so they wouldn’t attack me. Here’s the problem – children are very tender creatures, no matter how loud, rude or sweet they are. If, as a child, you often hear that you have no value or value, or that you are a “spice”, you believe. And the problem is, I didn’t go to my mom, because I instinctively knew there was nothing she could do about it. If I cried, I cried on the sly.
Rita, you speak openly in the film about the difficult times in your life, including your abusive relationship with Brando, as well as the discrimination you faced on set, but your struggles seem to have strengthened you. Can you talk about it?
Dark skinned: You can sink or swim, and I instinctively chose to swim, no matter how difficult or painful it was. This is part of my DNA. When I was working, I was not happy because I was playing ordinary roles. I didn’t work much and it was very depressing not to get the jobs. I would ask my agent to submit to different types of roles, but unless I was a native or an Egyptian girl, they wouldn’t even see me. That was so moving. I felt so helpless. And after feeling it for so long, you are depressed, angry and hurt. You don’t start being a model. You fight the bad parts of your life the best you can, and sometimes the best is not enough. I had a difficult time. I am proud of myself. Somehow, the gods were aligned, and when I thought it was over, Norman Lear came on the scene.
Mariem, you include some fantastic clips in the film, from Rita’s work to the backstage of her TV show, “One Day”, her performances, activism and speeches. Can you talk about making the film and finding your heart?
Pérez Riera: It was not easy. We had a lot of material. It took us many months to do this and I am very happy to share my credit as an editor with Kevin Klauber, who helped me find the balance. I wanted the documentary to have those moments of ups and downs, because your career and your life are like that. You see her winning a prize, but she was also dealing with a suicide attempt. I wanted to show clips with the notion of what she went through. When you see your clip with Marlon Brando, or the gang trying to rape your character in “West Side Story” – you know what she was thinking at the time. I wanted each clip to have some connection to his personal life.
I love Rita’s personal moments at home. Can you describe how you captured Rita in interviews, observation footage and private moments?
Pérez Riera: I wanted to show her so beautiful in the interviews, but also to see the contrast of her waking up and preparing her own breakfast, or talking to her grandson, to see what she really looks like. She gave us the keys to her house so that we could go early in the morning and pack everything before she woke up, so we were there when she went to the kitchen in her pajamas. I always wanted the documentary to show Rita the star who has all these awards, but to show Rita the human being, a woman who, like everyone else, fights so many wars inside her. I wanted to show her vulnerabilities and the fragile Rita that I could see on the set of “One Day” walking without makeup for work, or the woman after 15 hours of work would come home and do it again the next day. To see a “normal” icon in any way. When I started making the documentary, I realized that it was important to show her as a woman, because she represented each woman and what we all went through – in terms of sexual harassment, abuse and having to work three times more to show us are capable.
There is a growing movement for representation of Latinx and for the community to tell their stories. Can you talk about being a Puerto Rican filmmaker making a film about a Puerto Rican?
Pérez Riera: I am lucky and honored to be able to make this documentary, and I hope it opens more doors for me. I’m so happy [producer] Brent Miller decided that this documentary should be told by a Latinx woman. But I hope to have opportunities to make any documentary and any film. Not only because I’m Puerto Rican, or woman, or Latin, but because of my talent. This happens to every woman and every Latinx. We are still put in a box. But there are so many white men who make films about women. Why can white men make films about other cultures? We must be open to other Latinx stories, in addition to Mexicans crossing the border. There should be films about Latinx that are successful and educated.
Rita, you have easily become a role model for women, the Latinx community and many others. What observations do you have about this?
Dark skinned: We still have to make our film. Where’s our “Moonlight”? It is a mystery to me.
Glory [Calderon Kellett, the creator of “One Day at a Time”] He once posed that problem that the Hispanic community has is that we all come from different countries – Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina and so on. And in an interesting and depressing way, we isolate ourselves. We don’t have the mutual support we need. I don’t know how that will change, and it certainly won’t change in my life. It is really depressing.
Have you had the opportunity to create your own projects?
Dark skinned: It is so frustrating. I’m 89 years old – which shows how long I’ve lived with it. It wasn’t happening then. I don’t know if anyone has to do this [create projects]. In fact, I felt so desperate. I am not a writer. I’m an actor. Writing something never occurred to me. I had wonderful ideas. I still have one and I will send it to Norman [Lear] coming soon. At 89, I have a foot on a banana peel.