It has become vital for representation and inclusion and Hollywood has woken up to it in recent times. The representation ratio had been historically low for marginalized communities in terms of roles and narratives. One of the underrepresented communities was that of Latin people. The Latinos have been given stereotypical roles along with misrepresentation when already the inclusion is less. However, things started changing for female Latina actors when Rita Moreno won the Oscar for the 1961 adaptation of ‘West Side Story’.
Rita Moreno became the first Latina woman to have won an Oscar in 1962 for her role as Anita in Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins ‘West Side Story’. During the 1962 Oscars ceremony, the film created ripples winning most of the main and technical categories. She laid the path for future actresses to have hope that they are seen and heard and that their talent is recognized. Exactly after 60 years, the Puerto Rican actress Ariana DeBose also won the award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for Steven Spielsberg’s reiteration of the same film.
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Who Is Rita Moreno?
The veteran actress Rita Moreno hailed from Puerto Rico. Rosa Delores Alverio aka Rita Moreno came to New York City with her mother after she separated from her father in 1936. Rita was a born performer. Rosa Alverio, her mother, enrolled her in school and dancing. She started faring well in performing arts. At the age of 11, she started dubbing for Judy Garland and others for the Spanish version of films. The actress started her acting journey on Broadway. She debuted with ‘Skydrift’, a World War II drama.
One of the turning points in her career was the 1961 film ‘West Side Story’. The broadway play was adapted into a major motion picture. The musical depicted the lives of gang rivalry in New York of different ethnic groups. It is a tragic love story between a Polish boy, Tony, and a Puerto Rican girl, Maria. The two fall in love despite the rivalry, but their fate meets a tragic ending. In the film, Moreno played Anita, Maria’s friend. After a lot of hesitancy, she auditioned and bagged the role.
The film created a lot of buzz during the awards season in 1962. ‘West Side Story’ won the award for ‘Best Picture’ along with nine other awards. However, the most important during the night was the ‘Best Supporting Actress’. Rita Moreno bagged the award becoming the first Latina actress to have won an Academy Award. She kept the speech curt and simple. She said, “I can’t believe it! Good Lord. I leave you with that.”
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Ariana DeBose Created History After 60 Years At The Academy Awards
The 94th Academy Awards was an important night for Latin representation. Though Will Smith-Chris Rock’s slap gate marred the event, there were some historic and intersections wins. The animated film ‘Encanto’ took home the trophy for ‘Best Animated Film’. The director Jared Bush thanked the “entire country of Colombia” for the support.
Another Latin win was historic. Ariana DeBose created history by becoming the first Latin queer woman to win an Oscar Award. She won the award for her portrayal of Anita in Spielberg’s musical ‘West Side Story’. Ariana won the award in the same category as Rita Moreno after 60 years for the same character. During her speech, she acknowledged Rita.
She said, “I’m so grateful your Anita paved the way for tons of Anitas like me”. She continued, “To anybody who has ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us.”
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