Rita Moreno is a national treasure, and we have the gifs to prove it! The legendary EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, that is) winner continues to amaze us in the acting roles she takes on. She’s even set to go back to the film that earned her an Oscar win, playing an original character in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming West Side Story remake.
Now, audiences will get a chance to learn all about Moreno’s amazing career in film, TV, Broadway and more with a documentary, tentatively titled Rita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided to Go For It. Produced in conjunction with Norman Lear’s Act III Productions and with Lin-Manuel Miranda as executive producer, the PBS-bound documentary will explore Moreno’s 70-year career and her humble beginnings.
Interviews with Lear, Miranda, Gloria Estefan, Eva Longoria, and Justina Machado (to name a few) will be interwoven throughout footage of Moreno’s life and career. The doc will touch on the years of prejudice, sexual harassment and abuse she experienced during her time in Hollywood. Moreno was also in a highly toxic and well-publicized relationship with Marlon Brando, culminating in a suicide attempt a year before she became the first Latina to win an Oscar.
When the doc was announced, Miranda said, “Rita is La Reina. Punto. Full stop.” Moreno was also ebullient, saying, “How I wish my Puerto Rican mother were alive to see this … it is not something she or I could ever have imagined. I’m astonished. I’m humbled.”
It’s remarkable to realize that in 2019, we’re only now seeing a documentary on Moreno. Her life is nothing short of extraordinary, and if you need something to tide you over until the doc drops, be sure to read her autobiography, Rita Moreno: A Memoir.
Rita Moreno: The Girl Who Decided to Go For It will premiere on PBS in 2020.