With Natalie Wood in West Side Story Getty ImagesĪbout two months later I was in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria. It makes no a difference whether it's a priest or an uncle or someone who runs the grocery store, just talk to somebody." It is not something I did and wish I had, but it didn't even occur to me because I was so horribly miserable, and all I could think of was my pain. So I was talking about it honestly and simply, and I said something to the order of, "If there are any of you watching who are contemplating such a thing, please, I beg you, think about your mom, your child. I spoke about it very honestly because I feel it's like a service to people who are feeling horrific and sad and all that kind of stuff. Quite a while ago, I was being interviewed on television and I was asked about my suicide attempt. But you are! I've seen people start weeping when they meet you. And it's kind of bizarre, because that’s not what I am. Because you can see people looking at you in a very different way than they would look at others. You know what? That's usually such a burden on the so-called legend. Instead, you put all of your hopes and dreams on that person. It obscures all the wonderful human intricacies of who they are. Because when somebody is a legend, they're not really human. But getting to know the woman Rita Moreno has been so much more delicious. To me and so many other people on this planet, you are a legend. Rita Moreno posing for a photoshoot in 1955 Getty Images So, if you ever do meet your idol, I hope that they’re half as lovely as Rita Moreno. And now, to the bewilderment of my younger self, Rita Moreno is my friend. I discovered someone who meant more to me than a legend. But once I did, I discovered a woman who is deeply human: delicate but strong, sensitive but a fighter through and through, and possessing a wit and charm that one can only be born with. It took time for me to see her fully as who she is. I’ve worked alongside Rita for three years now. The idea of her is larger than life.īut when you see someone as a legend, it can prevent you from seeing them as human. And I mean all of them-she’s one of only 15 people in the world to EGOT! She IS goals. Mayer called her the “Hispanic Elizabeth Taylor.” She’s won all of the awards. She had a long relationship with Marlon Brando. Rita has always been an idol to me-a stunning, badass Latina who took Hollywood by storm at a time when all the odds were stacked against her. She made it her own, because she’s Rita Moreno, after all. (My grandmother’s maiden name was Lydia Riera.) What Rita has done with Lydia, a character I knew so intimately and cared about so deeply, is nothing short of astonishing. Was this really happening? A few weeks later, she agreed to play Lydia Riera, a larger-than-life amalgam of my mother and grandmother.
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