Rita Moreno (West Side Story) has always been one to kiss and tell. During her lifetime, the Oscar winner has been open about her high-profile romances with actors like Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. She’s even talked about one evening when John F. Kennedy, before he was U.S. President, flirted with her. A lot of these relationships are documented in her 2014 autobiography, “Rita Moreno: A Memoir.”
During a recent appearance on The View, Moreno expanded on one of her most famous flings – Elvis Presley. She told the panel of talk show co-hosts that she “dated [Elvis] several times” to get back at then-boyfriend Brando, who had been cheating on her.
“I found lingerie in [Marlon’s] house and, of course, I was heartbroken,” Moreno said. “I went home in tears – really, I was naïve – and I was angry too, just furious.”
The next day, Moreno said she received a phone call from Elvis’ manager telling her that his client was interested in meeting her and asked if she would like to meet him.
“And I thought of those panties, and I said, ‘Yes, I would!’”
When Brando found out she went out with Elvis, he was incensed. “He started to throw chairs,” she said. “He was so angry. It was wonderful. And I just sat there as he threw chairs and carried on.”
During the promotion of her documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It earlier this year, Moreno described to Remezcla what it’s like for her to tell stories about her life. “I’m repeating stories in different ways and with different words,” Moreno said. “It’s still the same life – but with colors. This is my coloring book.”
Moreno can be seen next in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story where she will play a character who is not in the original film. The movie hits theaters on December 10.