Academy Award-winning actress Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022. She was categorized under the “Artists” section of the list.
Actress Kristin Chenoweth, who stars with DeBose on Apple TV+’s musical parody series Schmigadoon!, called her “a quadruple threat” in the article that accompanied DeBose’s listing.
“She’s not only a dancer, an actress, and a singer, but also kind,” Chenoweth wrote. “I got to know the woman: silly, funny, not afraid of what anyone thinks. No fear. She inspired me to be the best I could be at my role.”
In March, DeBose became the first openly LGBTQ+ woman of color to win an Oscar for acting. “To anybody who’s ever questioned your identity…or if you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: there is indeed a place for us,” she said during her acceptance speech.
Since winning an Oscar, DeBose’s stock has skyrocketed. She was named the host of the 75th annual Tony Awards, which takes place in June. She was also cast in a romantic comedy that is being described as “My Best Friend’s Wedding with a bisexual Latinx POV” and in an undisclosed role in the fourth season of Westworld.
Ariana DeBose will next be seen in the action film Argylle alongside Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston, and Samuel L. Jackson; the intergalactic thriller I.S.S. starring Chris Messina; and the superhero flick Kraven the Hunter with Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Other Latines who made Time’s list of 100 Most Influential People of 2022 include CEO of Nubank David Vélez; President of Chile Gabriel Boric; activist and environmentalist Sônia Guajajara; researcher Tulio de Oliveira; and pro-choice activists Cristina Villarreal Velásquez and Ana Cristina González Vélez.
