Over a career spanning more than 70 years, Rita Moreno defied both her
humble upbringing and relentless racism to become a celebrated and
award-winning actor. Born into poverty on a Puerto Rican farm, Moreno and
her seamstress mother immigrated to New York City when Moreno was five
years old. After studying dance and performing on Broadway, Moreno was cast
as any ethnic minority the Hollywood studios needed filled: Polynesian,
Native American, Egyptian and so on.
Despite becoming the first Latina
actress to win an Academy Award for her role as Anita in “West Side Story”
(1961), the studios continued to offer Moreno lesser roles as stereotypical
ethnic minorities, ignoring her proven talent. Beyond the racism she
experienced as a Latina actor, “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go
For It” explores the lesser-known struggles Moreno faced on her path to
stardom, including pernicious Hollywood sexism and sexual abuse, a toxic
relationship with Marlon Brando, and an attempted suicide a year before she
won her Oscar. With intimate access and exclusive archive, the documentary
demonstrates Moreno’s talent and resilience as she broke barriers and paved
the way for new generations of artists by refusing to be pigeonholed and
fighting for Latinx representation in a variety of genres.
