(upbeat music) ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪ Hey, hey (upbeat music) - Good evening and welcome to "Horizonte."

A show that takes a look at current issues through a Hispanic lens.

I'm your host, Catherine Anaya.

Tonight we have a special guest, legendary actress, and ground breaker Rita Moreno.

Words and superlatives, they just are not enough to describe her career, and her impact on Hollywood and the Hispanic community.

She provided an onscreen presence for people who didn't see faces that look like theirs, especially for those of Puerto Rican descent.

She faced tall odds to get on screen and challenges behind it, like discrimination, sexism, and worse.

Despite all of that, she went on to a career that has spanned eight decades, eight decades, filled with awards at the highest level.

She will appear in Scottsdale, on March 16th, at an Arizona Music Fest event called "Rita Moreno, The Legendary Artist in Conversation."

Please welcome Ms. Rita Moreno to "Horizonte."

It is such a pleasure to see you.

What an honor.

- Hola.

- Hola.

I saw you dancing to our theme music.

- Oh, that was good.

(Catherine laughs) I was grooving on that.

That was really, is that just- - Isn't it upbeat?

- [Rita] It's terrific.

Yeah.

- Well, you are terrific and we are so honored to have you on "Horizonte" to talk about your life and your career, and the legend that you are.

Thank you.

- Well, you haven't got that much time.

- (laughs) No, we don't.

- When you're 92, there's a lot of stories there, but that's why I am hoping that people come to see me in conversation when I appear.

- Well, this is so special, because this is an opportunity for you to sit down and talk about this incredible life that you have experienced in your career.

And it's something that the Arizona Music Fest doesn't traditionally do.

They do music, so, - Oh!

- [Catherine] this is so special.

- I'm very flattered.

Wow, that's special.

And it's great, 'cause I'll tell you what, it's really is, it's not an interview.

It's nothing like that.

It's a conversation with the person who's going to speak with me on the stage, and I have no idea what they're going to ask me.

But that's how I like it, because I mean, if I don't know anything about my life, then I'm in trouble.

So it doesn't worry me that I don't know the questions I'm going to be asked.

That's great.

- Well, I'm going to, yeah, I'm going to do a little preview of that, if that's okay.

And ask you a couple of questions that you have no idea.

- [Rita] Of course.

- What they are in advance.

- Okay.

- All right.

So let's talk about this legendary career of yours because you gained fame for your breakout role, as many people know as Anita in the 1961 film, "West Side Story," becoming the first Latina to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

What was it about Anita that made you want to play her?

And did you know when you accepted that role, how special and groundbreaking Anita would become for so many people, including yourself?

- I really wasn't aware that it would be that groundbreaking.

No, but I knew that I wanted to play it very badly, because she was one of the very few Hispanic characters that actually had a sense of dignity and a sense of self-respect.

And boy, those were very few in the offing at that time, particularly.

It's not great now either, but it's better.

It's better 'cause people say, well, you know, they're so aware of the black community in terms of show business having done so fabulously well that they kind of sometimes mix us up with the black community.

We're not anywhere near there yet.

And I regret that.

And it makes me angry.

And it makes me impatient.

And I try to figure out why, why have we still, we're still struggling in some ways.

And somebody suggested something to me recently that may very well be why.

And that is that we, unlike the black community, are not Americans to begin with necessarily.

We are Puerto Ricans, we are Mexican, we are Argentinian, we're Spanish, we're oh Cubans.

And I think what's happened is that we have, according to my friend, and I think they're on the money.

I think we have siloed ourselves so that we kind of look after each of our nationalities.

But we, I don't think we've done enough to reach out to all our other brothers and sisters, if you know what I mean.

- [Catherine] Yes.

- I think that until we are able to do that, and really join hands, we're still gonna be struggling.

And I hope my friend is right, because that's doable.

You can do something about that.

But you have to put a name on it, and you have to say, this is what we're not doing, but this is what we are doing.

- Well, back in 1961 or prior to that, when you were coming up at MGM studios, you faced a lot of discrimination, and you had to really fight for the roles that you wanted, that defied stereotypes.

Where did that grit at the time come from?

- You know, I think it came with, at a very early age when I came to America from Puerto Rico with my mama.

And by the way, we came by boat, ship, because who could afford airplanes in those days?

My mom came to America with me, with the hope that everything she had heard about this country was true.

That this was the land of opportunity.

And indeed, in some ways it was, but in some ways it wasn't for Latinos.

It was very difficult.

I got called awful names in those days on the way to school.

And it was not easy.

It was not pleasant.

And one of the terrible effects of that on me was that I didn't want to be Hispanic.

- [Catherine] Mm.

- I wanted to be Americana.

I wanted to be white.

And you know, I'm white, but I'm still Puerto Rican.

Right?

- Mm hm.

- The name.

And it took me a long time to accept what I am, to accept my talents, to appreciate myself.

And even though I'm not recommending this for anyone else, I do know that the thing that saved me really was going into psychotherapy when I was in my middle to late twenties.

- Mm hm.

- Because that doctor, and I was very lucky to find someone pretty marvelous, put a mirror up to me, who was the mirror.

He was my mirror.

- Hm.

- And he was showing me without my being aware of it, of who I really was.

I wasn't this terrible, dirty little Puerto Rican girl who wasn't worthy.

- Mm hm.

- And I don't know that I could have survived without that.

I'm so grateful that I was smart enough to go into therapy.

I wanted to find a nicer person in me.

I didn't think I was nice.

I didn't think I was pretty, I thought I was just what a lot of people, you know, would accuse me of.

- Well, when did you start to feel that you had some kind of power in Hollywood?

Because- - You know, it took time.

That takes time.

If you are from a childhood point of view, if you feel that you are not worthy, because you've been made to feel that way, that takes a long time.

Because children are very, children are so tender.

They so believe what people say.

If someone says to you when you're a very young girl, you're not pretty, you're ugly.

You believe it, you believe all those things that mean people say to you and about you.

So it takes time, - Mm hm.

- and it takes someone with grit to face yourself, and say, and discover, wait a minute, I'm pretty.

- [Catherine] Well, when you look at- - I have a pretty singing voice.

I can sing and I can dance, and I can play the castanets and all that.

But it takes someone sharing that part of you with you.

- Yes.

- And more often than not, the only way in which you can get to that point is either a wonderful aunt or a priest or someone who tells you that you have value and whom you believe when they tell you you have value.

'Cause the problem is you don't believe people when they say, "Oh, you're such a pretty girl."

- Mm hm.

- I never ever believed that.

Now I think I'm pretty.

(laughs) - Well, you are, you're absolutely gorgeous at 92.

Might I add.

And we so appreciate when you share your experiences, and this incredible life that you've led, which is why I wanna remind people that they need to go and see you because you will have so many endless stories to share with people.

- Oh!

You have to see me in person.

I, you know, 92 means that I have so many stories, many of them hilarious.

I did one of those conversations this morning at Disney World, and my gosh, it was an audience of a thousand people.

And there was a question and answer period.

And it was funny, 'cause I'm funny.

(Catherine laughs) - Yes, you are.

- I always, I always see the humor in things.

I think that's been my lifesaver.

And so I have stories to tell up and down the wazoo.

And I think they'll enjoy immensely visiting with me.

And it's a real conversation.

- What, you are still acting and you're still very active.

What brings you the most enjoyment and fulfillment these days?

- Just what I do.

What I do is I act, I'm an actress.

I love to act.

I enjoy appearing on the talk shows.

I enjoy sharing stories, because I have stories to share that nobody's ever even dreamed of.

- [Catherine] Mm hm.

- You know, people.

And you know, I also have a wonderful, wonderful documentary about my life.

And what's wonderful about it is that it's very truthful, very honest, no lies there.

And you would be surprised.

And what you will find out about me, it's still streaming on Netflix.

Obviously, it's still streaming, 'cause we did it about two years ago.

- Mm hm.

Right.

- 'Cause it's popular.

- Well, and you also share some of those truths in your book.

Was that difficult to get that raw about your experiences?

Or was it liberating?

- It was liberating actually.

It wasn't, it's surprising how not difficult it was.

And I mean, I talk about some very, very personal and private things in the book.

And that's what I decided when I wanted to do the documentary.

I thought, okay, we're gonna do it.

You've seen it, I assume.

Can I assume you've seen it?

- [Catherine] Yes, absolutely.

- Because there are things I talk about there where people say, "I had no idea."

And I said, "Well, that's why I did the documentary, because I wanted, people assume because I have such a sunny personality, and because I'm funny and all that, that it wasn't anywhere difficult for me in life.

It was extremely difficult.

It was heartbreaking.

I tried to end my life.

- Yes.

- At one point of my life in my early thirties.

- Mm hm.

- And, uh- - I think that was shocking for a lot of people - To find out.

- to read and to hear.

- Yeah, I know.

Because it's so unlike me.

It's so not part of me.

I think part of it was that, 'cause that's not me.

I think part of it was that I was on some medication.

- Mm.

- That was a depressant, and I didn't know that.

And in those days, doctors didn't even think about that kind of thing.

It was a thyroid kind of medicine, and which I'm still on by the way.

But at that time, that kind of medication was a depressant.

And who knew?

- Well, what- - Because it's really not, that is not in my nature.

I'm not the kind of person who tries to end her life.

I just, I am not.

- Well, that is one of the many experiences, personal experiences that you have shared, and that I'm sure you will share on stage when you're here in Scottsdale on March 16th.

And I do wanna encourage everybody to go out and see you, and listen to your journey because it is a fascinating and wonderful, beautiful, raw story of your life.

- And funny.

- And funny.

Yes, you are very humorous.

So let me remind folks.

It's called "The Legendary Artist in Conversation."

And it's Saturday, March 16th at Highlands Church in Scottsdale.

You can get your tickets at azmusicfest.org.

Ms. Moreno, I wish that I had hours to spend with you because not only are you funny, but you are so educating in so many ways, and I just appreciate very much that you have shared part of your journey with us here on "Horizonte."

- Thank you so much.

And you know what, this was a wonderful interview.

- [Catherine] Thank you.

- I love the questions you asked, and I love the way you asked them.

- I appreciate that.

- And I hope I get to see you at the conversation, because I'm inviting you to come backstage and take pictures with me.

- I would love that.

- Okay.

- [Catherine] I am going to take you up on that.

- You're on.

- You're on.

You are gorgeous as ever.

And thank you so much for your time.

It is an honor.

- It's my pleasure.

- Thank you.

Mwah.

- Everybody let me see you there.

- [Catherine] (laughs) Thank you, Ms. Moreno.

And that's our show for tonight.

For "Horizonte" and Arizona PBS, I'm Catherine Anaya.

That was terrific.

Have a great night.

(upbeat music) ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪ Hey, hey (upbeat music)