♪♪
>>> AFTER 60‐SOMETHING YEARS, THE TIME HAS COME AGAIN.
>> NOW, A "WEST SIDE STORY" FOR A NEW GENERATION.
♪♪
>> OH, MY GOSH, WE ARE MAKING "WEST SIDE STORY."
>> STEVEN SPIELBERG'S "WEST SIDE STORY."
I DON'T THINK OF IT AS A REMAKE. IT'S A RE‐IMAGINING.
>> THE STORY IS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE.
>> WHAT IS AMAZING IS TO BE ABLE
TO REVIVE THE PRODUCTION WITH A LATINX COMMUNITY.
>> BEHIND THE SCENES.
>> THE CHOREOGRAPHY, THE DANCE REHEARSALS, THE MUSIC.
>> AND IT'S LIKE, ONLY SPIELBERG COULD SHUT DOWN NEW YORK.
>> THE NEW STARS, FROM "SHREK" TO STARRING FOR SPIELBERG.
>> FINDING OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME, I DIDN'T CRY. I CURSED.
YIKES. SORRY, MOM.
>> THIS IS A CHILDHOOD DREAM ROLE.
>> THIS IS WHY I LIKE TO TELL ACTORS WHO GET THE PARTS
PERSONALLY, I WANNA HEAR THEM CRY.
>> THE ORIGINAL STARS.
>> THERE IS A PART IN HERE THAT TONY KUSHNER WROTE FOR YOU. AH!
>> RACE AND REPRESENTATION.
>> IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE LIKE US TO SEE PEOPLE LIKE US
ONSCREEN. I MEAN, IT MAKES ME SUPER
EMOTIONAL SO I APOLOGIZE.
>> AND STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S FINAL INTERVIEW FOR AMERICAN TV.
>> JUST THE IDEA OF SPIELBERG EXCITED ME.
>> I'M JUST SO PROUD AND HONORED THAT I GOT THIS SHOT LATE IN MY
CAREER. AMAZING!
♪♪
>> THERE'S SO MUCH OF "WEST SIDE STORY" WHICH IS A CELEBRATION OF
JUST, HOW DO YOU SING THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE, HOW DO YOU
COMMUNICATE YOUR DEEPEST FEELINGS TO ANOTHER PERSON?
♪♪
>> "WEST SIDE STORY," IT'S EVERYTHING.
DRAMA, IT'S ROMANCE, IT'S PASSION, IT'S HUMOR.
>> I THINK IT WAS A VERY BOLD ATTEMPT AT SOMETHING THAT HAD
NEVER BEEN DONE. WE'LL START WITH BROADWAY.
IT WAS SHAKESPEARE'S CAPULETS AND MONTAGUES TURNED INTO THE
GHETTO.
>> THE MUSICAL "WEST SIDE STORY" IS SET ON THE WEST SIDE
OF MANHATTAN DURING THE 1950S. IT'S ABOUT TWO WARRING TEENAGE
GANGS, THE SHARKS, WHO ARE PUERTO RICAN, AND THE JETS, WHO
ARE ETHNIC WHITES.
>> IT'S SORT OF ROMEO AND JULIET, A PUERTO RICAN GIRL AND
A POLISH GUY, AND YOU HAVE THESE SORT OF STAR‐CROSSED LOVERS.
THEY PROBABLY SHOULDN'T FALL IN LOVE BUT THEY DO.
>> AND WHILE THEY DON'T HAVE SHAKESPEARE'S BALCONY TO DECLARE
THEIR LOVE TO EACH OTHER ON, THEY DO HAVE A NEW YORK CITY
FIRE ESCAPE.
♪ EVERY SIGHT THAT I SEE IS
MARIA ♪
♪ TONY TONY ♪
>> IT STILL SPEAKS TO US BECAUSE "ROMEO AND JULIET" AND
SUBSEQUENTLY "WEST SIDE STORY" ARE BOTH ABOUT LOVE, TRYING TO
RISE ABOVE HATRED.
♪♪
>> AND SO NOW "WEST SIDE
STORY" IS BEING RE‐IMAGINED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG.
THREE‐TIME OSCAR‐WINNER. HIGHEST‐GROSSING DIRECTOR IN THE
HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD. HE IS FLUENT IN THE LANGUAGE OF
FILM. JUST LOOK AT HIS MOVIES. SOME OF THE BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTERS
"SCHINDLER'S LIST," "E. T.," THE "INDIANA JONES" MOVIES, AND OF
COURSE "JAWS." WHY NOW?
>> THE SCORE'S BEEN IN MY LIFE SINCE I WAS 10 YEARS OLD.
MY PARENTS BOUGHT THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST ALBUM FOR "WEST
SIDE STORY." AND MEMORIZED EVERY SONG, AND IT
WAS MY FAVORITE MUSICAL MY ENTIRE LIFE.
>> IF WE HAD BEEN IN YOUR HOME BACK THEN, WOULD WE HAVE SEEN A
YOUNG STEVEN SPIELBERG SINGING THIS MUSIC AROUND THE HOUSE?
>> NO. I ‐‐ I ‐‐ I ‐‐ NO. YOU KNOW, WHAT ‐‐ WHAT'S THAT
CLINT EASTWOOD SAID IN THAT MOVIE?
>> A MAN'S GOT TO KNOW HIS LIMITATIONS.
>> OKAY. I KNEW MY LIMITATIONS.
IT WASN'T AS A SINGER. BUT I LOVED THE MUSIC SO MUCH.
♪♪
>> TONIGHT IS THE NEW YORK OPENING OF "WEST SIDE STORY."
WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS STEADILY FOR NINE MONTHS.
>> THIS WAS WAY AHEAD OF ITS TIME IN THE '50s.
SO YOU'RE HEARING ABOUT RACE. TURF WARS IN NEW YORK.
THE CHOREOGRAPHY AND THE MUSIC WAS GROUNDBREAKING.
>> THERE WILL BE TIME TO READ THE REVIEWS AND HAVE A DRINK OF
CELEBRATION, OR PERHAPS CONSOLATION.
>> AND IT GOT A FANTASTIC OPENING NIGHT PARTY.
AMONG THE ATTENDEES IS CHITA RIVERA, WHO ORIGINATED THE
ROLE ONSTAGE OF ANITA.
>> I HAPPEN TO THINK THAT "WEST SIDE STORY" WAS PERFECT.
I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE A PART OF IT.
EVERY SINGLE NIGHT I WENT IN THERE, I WAS TOTALLY COMPLETE.
>> IT WAS DIRECTED, CONCEIVED, AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY
JEROME ROBBINS. BOOK BY ARTHUR LAWRENCE.
MUSIC BY LEONARD BERNSTEIN. LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM.
THAT LEGEND OF MUSICAL THEATER GETTING HIS BIG BREAK AT JUST
25 YEARS OF AGE.
>> ARTHUR HAD HEARD MY WORK. SO WHEN THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A
LYRICIST, I HAPPENED TO RUN INTO HIM AT A PARTY.
HE WAS TELLING ME, "I'M GONNA
WORK ON THIS MUSICAL OF ROMEO AND JULIET.
HE SAID, "I DIDN'T MUCH LIKE YOUR MUSIC, BUT I THOUGHT YOUR
LYRICS WERE REALLY GOOD," SO I GOT THE JOB.
>> HISTORY‐MAKING IS THE WORD FOR THE MOTION PICTURE CRITICS
HAVE ACCLAIMED AS A MASTERPIECE.
>> SO FOUR YEARS LATER, 1961, THERE'S A BIG SCREEN VERSION OF
"WEST SIDE STORY" THAT'S A MASSIVE HIT.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU THINK ABOUT THE SCENE OF RITA MORENO ON THE
ROOFTOP OF NEW YORK CITY IN THAT GORGEOUS PURPLE DRESS.
♪♪
>> MY FIRST RECOLLECTION OF "WEST SIDE STORY" WAS MY
ABUELITA Y MI MAMA TALKING ABOUT RITA MORENO.
AND I REMEMBER WANTING SO BADLY TO BE ANITA FOR HALLOWEEN, BUT
MY MOM WAS LIKE, "JUST BECAUSE YOU WEAR A PURPLE DRESS DOES NOT
MEAN PEOPLE ARE GONNA KNOW WHO YOU ARE FOR HALLOWEEN."
>> WE'RE A PUERTO RICAN FAMILY. FOR US IT WAS REALLY THE FIRST
TIME WE SAW THAT TYPE OF REPRESENTATION HERE ON THE
MAINLAND.
>> IT GOES ON TO WIN TEN ACADEMY AWARDS AND CONTINUES TO BE A
BELOVED CLASSIC, WHICH MAYBE IS WHY STEVEN SPIELBERG
RE‐IMAGINING IT ON THE BIG SCREEN IS A BIG RISK.
YOU'VE NEVER DIRECTED A MUSICAL BEFORE.
>> NO, I NEVER HAVE. THERE'S BEEN A COUPLE OF MUSICAL
NUMBERS IN A FEW OF MY FEATURE FILMS.
>> SO MAYBE YOU REMEMBER THE OPENING SEQUENCE OF "INDIANA
JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM." THERE'S A BIG ANYTHING GOES
NUMBER.
IF YOU GO TO THE BLU‐RAY
VERSION, YOU CAN FIND KATE CAPSHAW, INTERVIEWING HER
FUTURE HUSBAND ABOUT THAT NUMBER.
>> MR. SPIELBERG, HOW DOES IT FEEL DIRECTING A MUSICAL?
>> WELL, IT FEEL JUST SWELL. JUST SWELL.
>> HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT REMAKING A MASTERPIECE?
>> WE NEVER ATTEMPTED TO REMAKE THE '61 FILM.
WE TOOK ALL OF OUR INSPIRATION BASED ON THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
MATERIAL. WHICH WAS THE 1957 BROADWAY
MUSICAL.
>> IT'S AN INSANE SCORE. IT IS INCREDIBLY CONVOLUTED, AND
BERNSTEIN IS AND WAS A GENIUS.
>> IN THE CASE OF BERNSTEIN, ROBBINS, LAURENTS, AND SONDHEIM,
THEY ALL HAD THESE ELEMENTS OF OTHERNESS IN THE UNITED STATES.
>> THEY WERE FOUR JEWISH GAY
MEN, THAT UNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE NOTION OF THE IMMIGRANT'S
JOURNEY, GETTING TO A COUNTRY THAT ACCEPTS THEM FOR THEIR
TALENT, MAYBE DOESN'T ACCEPT THEM FOR WHO THEY REALLY ARE.
AND SO THEY KNEW HOW TO WRITE ABOUT OTHER OUTSIDERS.
>> WHO ASKED YOU TO MOVE HERE?
>> WHO ASKED YOU?
>> GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!
>> SPICS!
>> MICK!
>> WOP!
>> THE GREAT THING ABOUT ART IS THAT IT'S PERSONAL.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHARACTERS IS FAMILIAR AND RESONATES.
"WEST SIDE STORY" DOES THAT.
>> MANY PEOPLE ARE CAUGHT BETWEEN RED AND BLUE OR BLACK
AND WHITE.
>> I ACTUALLY THINK IT'S MORE RELEVANT TODAY THAN IT WAS IN
'57 WHEN THEY PUT IT UP ON THE BOARDS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
>> SO JOINING SPIELBERG ON THIS JOURNEY, A LEGEND IN HIS OWN
RIGHT, THE PULITZER PRIZE‐WINNING AUTHOR OF "ANGELS
IN AMERICA," TONY KUSHNER, WHO ALSO COLLABORATED WITH SPIELBERG
ON THE SCREENPLAYS FOR "MUNICH" AND ON "LINCOLN."
>> I CAME BACK FROM HAVING BREAKFAST WITH SPIELBERG, AND HE
HAD SAID, "I WANT YOU TO WRITE THE SCREENPLAY."
AND I SAID, "STEVEN'S LOST HIS MIND.
HE WANTS TO REMAKE WEST SIDE STORY."
>> WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU COULD BRING TO THIS MATERIAL?
>> MY LOVE.
MY LOVE FOR STEPHEN SONDHEIM, FOR LEONARD BERNSTEIN AND FOR
ARTHUR LAURENCE, FOR JEROME ROBBINS AND FOR
EVERYTHING THEY INSPIRED ME AS A KID. AND I ALSO THOUGHT AFTER
60‐SOMETHING YEARS THE TIME HAS COME AGAIN BECAUSE THIS SHOULD
BE SHARED GENERATIONALLY.
>> AND AFTER 60‐SOMETHING YEARS, LOVE FOR "WEST SIDE STORY" WAS
STILL DEEPLY FELT BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM IN THIS, HIS
LAST AMERICAN TELEVISION INTERVIEW BEFORE HIS PASSING ON
NOVEMBER 26th AT THE AGE OF 91.
>> I WAS 25 YEARS OLD, AND IT
WAS A THRILL. TO HAVE IT COME OUT SO WELL.
I'M PROUD OF THE SHOW. I LEARNED SO MUCH FROM THOSE
THREE GUYS. IT WAS A CRASH COURSE IN HOW TO
WRITE FOR MUSICAL THEATER.
>> FOR STEVEN SPIELBERG, FOR TONY KUSHNER.
IT'S A HUGE THING TO REALLY WANT TO REDO.
>> AND SO IS IT A GAMBLE? PROBABLY.
>> IT'S A HUGE, HUGE RISK, REMAKING SOMETHING THAT IS SO
ICONIC, AS "WEST SIDE STORY" IS.
>> WHEN WE COME BACK, BETTING IT ALL ON A MARIA FROM A HIGH
SCHOOL MUSICAL.
♪♪
AND A TONY WHO'S GOING FROM BABY DRIVER TO LEADING MAN?
>> I JUST TRIED TO JUMP INTO IT AND SING IT.
>> NEXT.
>>> "MUST BE ABLE TO SING, DANCE EXPERIENCE IS A PLUS."
THAT'S FROM THE CASTING CALL THAT GOES OUT IN 2018 TO TRY TO
GET PERFORMERS TO APPEAR IN THIS RE‐IMAGINED VERSION OF "WEST
SIDE STORY."
>> IT WAS A GLOBAL SEARCH. I POSTED ONE FLYER ON SOCIAL
MEDIA ONE DAY, AND THEN IT WENT VIRAL.
>> WE HAD 35,000 PEOPLE SENT IN THEIR AUDITION TAPES FOR FOUR
PARTS. FOR MARIA, FOR ANITA, FOR TONY,
AND FOR BERNARDO. 35,000 TAPES.
>> SELF‐TAPES FROM EVERYWHERE. AUSTRALIA, LATIN AMERICA,
ARGENTINA, SPAIN.
>> AND ONE OF THE FIRST TAPES THAT COMES IN IS FROM A TEENAGE
GIRL FROM NEW JERSEY WHO WANTS TO BE MARIA.
>> I RESPONDED TO AN OPEN CASTING CALL THAT OUR CASTING
DIRECTOR, CINDY TOLAN, POSTED ON TWITTER.
AND MY FRIEND McKENNA FROM CALIFORNIA SENT IT TO ME WITH
THE CAPTION, "THANK ME WHEN YOU'RE FAMOUS."
>> I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WHO COULD ACT, SING, AND DANCE.
AND MOST OF OUR CAST HAVE NEVER ‐‐ 50 CAST MEMBERS HAVE
NEVER BEEN IN A MOVIE BEFORE, INCLUDING RACHEL WHO ‐‐ WHO IS
RIGHT OUT OF PLAYING PRINCESS FIONA IN HER HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
YEAR PRODUCTION OF "SHREK."
♪♪
>> SHE WAS THE SECOND PERSON I SAW OUT OF 30 PEOPLE THE FIRST
DAY.
>> AMONG THE ACTORS WHO WANTED TO PLAY TONY WAS A YOUNG MAN
WHO'D BEEN IN "BABY DRIVER."
>> I'M A DRIVER.
>> AND IN "THE FAULT IN OUR STARS."
>> I HOPE YOU REALIZE YOU TRYING TO KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FROM ME IN
NO WAY LESSENS MY AFFECTION FOR YOU.
>> AND THAT WAS ANSEL ELGORT.
>> I DID A LOT OF MUSICALS IN HIGH SCHOOL, JUST LIKE RACHEL
DID. AND THEN SOMEHOW, I ENDED UP DOING MOVIES, AND I STILL NEVER
MADE IT TO BROADWAY. BUT THEN THIS IS KIND OF THE
PERFECT, LIKE, THE CHILDHOOD DREAM ROLE.
>> AND ANSEL HAS A PRETTY IRONIC LINK TO "WEST SIDE STORY."
HE WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL IN THE ACTUAL NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THE
FILM IS SET.
AND HE ALSO HAS AN INTERESTING CONNECTION WITH
LEONARD BERNSTEIN.
>> MY FATHER, WHO'S A PHOTOGRAPHER, TOOK PHOTOS OF
LEONARD BERNSTEIN. AND THEY WERE ON THE WALL IN MY
LIVING ROOM MY WHOLE LIFE, AND ONE DAY, I SAID TO MY PARENTS
SAID, "OH YEAH, THE PHOTOS OF GRANDPA ON THE WALL, ABOVE THE
PIANO." THEY SAID, "THERE'S NO PHOTOS OF
GRANDPA ON THE WALL ABOVE THE PIANO. THAT'S LEONARD BERNSTEIN."
SO I GREW UP MY WHOLE LIFE THINKING LEONARD BERNSTEIN WAS
MY GRANDFATHER.
>> AND THERE, OF COURSE, IS THE PART OF BERNARDO, WHO IS THE
LEADER OF THE SHARKS.
>> I THINK HONESTLY THE HARDEST PART TO CAST WAS BERNARDO, HAD
BEEN LOOKING FOR SIX MONTHS AND WE WEREN'T HAVING ANY LUCK
REALLY.
>> AND THAT'S WHEN CINDY TOLAN REMEMBERED THE THREE
10‐YEAR‐OLDS WHO HAD STARRED IN THE STAGE PRODUCTION OF THE
MOVIE "BILLY ELLIOT" ON BROADWAY.
>> IF YOU GO ONLINE YOU CAN SEE THE THREE OF THEM ACCEPTING
THEIR TONY AWARD.
>> MOM, DAD, AND TWO SISTERS.
>> AND I TURNED TO MY OFFICE AND I SAID, "WHERE'S DAVID ALVAREZ?
WHY AREN'T WE AUDITIONING DAVID ALVAREZ?"
DAVID DROPPED OUT OF THE BUSINESS. HE JUST STOPPED ACTING.
HE WENT INTO THE ARMY WHEN HE WAS A TEENAGER AND THEN HE WAS
LIVING IN OHIO, AND HE LOOKED LIKE A LUMBERJACK.
>> I HAD BEEN BACKPACKING IN MEXICO FOR A COUPLE YEARS.
SO I WAS KIND OF OFF‐GRID, AND CINDY TOLAN ENT ME A PRIVATE
MESSAGE SAYING THAT THEY WERE CASTING FOR BERNARDO FOR THE NEW
STEVEN SPIELBERG "WEST SIDE STORY" MOVIE.
>> AND NOW IT'S TIME TO LET THE WINNERS KNOW THAT THEY GOT THE
GIG.
>> DID EVERYONE CRY WHEN YOU CALLED THEM ON THE PHONE TO TELL
THEM THAT THEY HAD BEEN CAST IN THIS?
>> YEAH, YEAH, THEY ‐‐ THEY DID. THEY CRIED.
THIS IS WHY I LIKE TO TELL ACTORS WHO GET THE PARTS
PERSONALLY. I WANNA GET THEM WHEN THEY LEAST
EXPECT GOOD NEWS, I WANNA START WITH A KIND OF SOMBER VOICE LIKE
I'M SETTING THEM UP FOR THE FALL, AND THEN I WANNA TELL THEM
THEY GOT THE PART AND JUST LET THE TEARS FLY.
LOOK, I'M WEIRD, OKAY? BUT I LIKE THAT.
>> ARIANA DEBOSE HAD PLAYED A CHARACTER CALLED THE BULLET IN
NOW SHE WAS ABOUT TO GET THE CALL.
>> I FOUND OUT IN A NAIL SALON. I HAD TINFOILS ON MY NAILS.
AND THE PHONE RANG, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU IF YOU WOULD BE MY
ANITA IN "WEST SIDE STORY." AND I LITERALLY STARTED SILENT
CRYING. THE POOR LITTLE WOMAN WAS, LIKE,
"ARE YOU OKAY?" AND I WAS, LIKE, "I'M REALLY
GOOD. YES, SIR, I WOULD BE SO HONORED."
>> I'M LIKE, "HEY, MR. SPIELBERG, NICE TO HEAR FROM
YOU. I HOPE YOU'RE DOING WELL." AND IT'S LIKE, "OH, PLEASE.
DON'T CALL ME MR. SPIELBERG. CALL ME STEVEN 'CAUSE I'LL BE
CALLING YOU BERNARDO FROM NOW ON."
>> I GOT THIS CALL, UNKNOWN NUMBER, AND PICKED IT UP AND IT
WAS STEVEN SPIELBERG. AND STEVEN WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY
GIDDY AND GIGGLY. AND I THINK HE LOVES ‐‐ HE LOVES
BEING ABLE TO TELL PEOPLE SOME, YOU KNOW, DELIVER GREAT NEWS.
I REMEMBER CALLING MY PARENTS AFTERWARDS AND WE WERE ALL JUST,
LIKE, TOTALLY IN TEARS.
>> I DIDN'T CRY. I CURSED. YIKES, SORRY, MOM.
>> EVEN BEFORE THE CAMERAS WERE ROLLING, STEVEN SPIELBERG DID
SOMETHING THAT IS SO IMPACTFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY.
HE ALREADY HAS 20 ACTORS THAT ARE PUERTO RICAN OR OF PUERTO
RICAN DESCENT. IT'S GROUNDBREAKING.
>> AS MUCH AS I ADORE THE ORIGINAL MOVIE OF "WEST SIDE
STORY," THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT THE ORIGINAL "WEST
SIDE STORY" THAT COULD STAND WITH IMPROVEMENT.
AND PRIMARILY, THERE'S THE FACT THAT THE ACTORS WHO PLAYED THE
SHARKS WERE NOT NECESSARILY LATINX OR PUERTO RICAN AT ALL.
>> YOU KEEP AWAY FROM HIM.
>> I'M GOING TO THINK FOR MYSELF.
♪♪
>> IT WAS VERY FORMATIVE FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO WALK ON TO SET AND
TALK TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN PUERTO RICO, WHO ARE AFRO‐LATINO.
LOOK WHO I FOUND. IT MAKES ME SUPER EMOTIONAL, SO
I APOLOGIZE. IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR THAT NEXT
GENERATION TO SEE SOMEONE THAT LOOKS LIKE THEM, AND IT'S
SOMETHING THAT I'M SO UNBELIEVABLY PROUD OF.
>> AND AS IT TURNS OUT SOMEBODY ELSE WAS ABOUT TO GET A BIG CALL
FROM STEVEN SPIELBERG, SOMEBODY WHO HAD WON AN OSCAR FOR
PERFORMING IN "WEST SIDE STORY" NEARLY 60 YEARS EARLIER.
>> MY AGENT SAID, "STEVEN SPIELBERG WANTS TO CALL
YOU. CAN I GIVE HIM YOUR NUMBER?" IT'S LIKE, ARE THERE HOOKERS IN
HOUSTON? ARE YOU SERIOUS? 'COURSE I WANT HIM TO CALL ME.
WHY WOULD HE BE CALLING? I REALLY, HONESTLY, COULDN'T
IMAGINE.
>>> MY FIRST RECOLLECTION OF "WEST SIDE STORY" WAS THE FILM.
I WAS SITTING IN MY GRANDMOTHER'S LIVING ROOM
WATCHING DANCE AT THE GYM.
♪♪
>> AND I SAW THE WOMAN IN THE PURPLE DRESS AND I WAS LIKE, I
KNEW I WANTED TO DO THAT. OF COURSE LATER ON I DISCOVERED
THAT THE WOMAN IN THE PURPLE DRESS WAS RITA MORENO.
>> I AUDITIONED MY ARSE OFF. I WANTED THAT PART SO BADLY.
AND IT WAS SO THRILLING TO GET IT.
>> EVERYONE WANTED TO BE RITA MORENO.
WHO DIDN'T WANT TO BE A PUERTO RICAN GIRL SINGING AND
DANCING. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.
>> AND THE FACT THAT SHE SHOWED PUERTO RICAN TALENT, AND THAT
SHE TACKLED IT AND THEN SOME, WAS FOR US A SOURCE OF
INSPIRATION.
>> SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHICH IS THICKER, YOUR SKULL OR YOUR
ACCENT.
>> RITA MORENO HAS BEEN IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS FOR 70 YEARS.
SHE HAS WON AN EMMY, AN OSCAR, A TONY, AND A GRAMMY.
THAT'S RIGHT. SHE HAS THE EGOT.
>> BUT THE GIRL WHO JOINED "WEST SIDE STORY" WAS VERY BEATEN UP.
I WAS REALLY BARELY HANGING ON.
>> BEFORE HER OSCAR‐WINNING PERFORMANCE, RITA MORENO FOUND
HERSELF AMID THE COLORISM AND PREJUDICE THAT REALLY WAS A
HALLMARK OF HOLLYWOOD IN THAT PERIOD.
AND IT SCARRED HER INSIDE AS WELL.
>> FOR THE LONGEST TIME, I ACQUIESCED. I HATED IT.
I WAS OFFERED NOTHING BUT ISLAND
GIRLS. OR AMERICAN INDIAN, OR EGYPTIAN
GIRLS.
>> SHE WAS CAST IN "THE KING AND I" AS A CHARACTER WHO IS
BURMESE.
>> MY NAME IS TUPTIM. I ALREADY SPEAK ENGLISH.
>> AS LONG AS I WAS DOING THOSE KIND OF ROLES ALL THE TIME, I
WAS ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS, BECAUSE I
HAD REALLY NO SENSE OF MYSELF. AND I DIDN'T FEEL STRONG ENOUGH
THAT I COULD SPEAK UP ABOUT THE SITUATION TO SAY I DON'T WANT TO
DO THIS. AND WHEN I FINALLY GOT TO PLAY A
GENUINE LATINA ‐‐
>> WHAT AM I? CUT GLASS?
>> ANITA, I THOUGHT, "THIS IS MY ROLE MODEL.
A LITTLE LATE IN THE DAY," I WAS ALMOST 30.
I NEVER WAS AFRAID TO DEPICT HER ‐‐
>> DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME.
>> ‐‐ BECAUSE IT WAS ME.
>> SO AT THE OSCARS, ROCK HUDSON READS THE NOMINEES AND REVEALS
THE WINNER.
>> RITA MORENO IN "WEST SIDE STORY."
>> RITA MORENO WAS IDOLIZED BY ALL OF US IN THE PUERTO RICAN
COMMUNITY IN NEW YORK.
>> I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. GOOD LORD. I LEAVE YOU WITH THAT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE WERE SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS THAT
RITA MORENO HAD WON THE OSCAR
>> FAST FORWARD ABOUT SIX DECADES AND FATE COMES KNOCKING
AGAIN.
>> MY AGENT SAID, "STEVEN SPIELBERG WANTS TO CALL
YOU. CAN I GIVE HIM YOUR NUMBER?" "ARE YOU SERIOUS?
'COURSE I WANT HIM TO CALL ME." HE SAID, "I'M WONDERING IF YOU
WOULD BE INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF IT."
AND I SAID TO HIM, "I'M SO FLATTERED.
BUT I DON'T DO CAMEOS." AND THEN HE SAID, "CAMEO? NO.
THERE IS A PART IN HERE THAT TONY KUSHNER WROTE FOR YOU.
I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF YOU'RE INTERESTED."
I SAID, "I ‐‐ YES, I AM." AH! LIKE THAT.
>> TONY KUSHNER CAME UP WITH THE IDEA, WHAT IF YOU GOT
RITA MORENO TO PLAY DOC'S WIDOW?
>> COME ON, DOC, DON'T LET IT GET YOU.
>> I'M SICK.
>> SO DOC HAS DIED AND THE WIDOW HAS TAKEN OVER THE CANDY STORE.
WHEN TONY CALLED ME ABOUT THIS IDEA, I THOUGHT IT WAS A
MASTERSTROKE. I REALLY DID.
>> WE WANTED HER KNOWLEDGE AND HER WISDOM, AND HER INCREDIBLE
TALENT.
>> AND WHEN SHE WALKED ON THE REHEARSAL STAGE FOR THE FIRST
TIME, AND THEY SAW THE RITA MORENO COMING IN TO TELL
HER STORY TO OUR 60‐MEMBER ENSEMBLE COMPANY, THERE WASN'T A
DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE.
>> WHAT'S FOREVER, LIKE, I WANT TO BE WITH YOU FOREVER?
>> YOU DON'T WANT TO START MAYBE WITH, I'D LIKE TO TAKE YOU OUT
TO COFFEE?
>> SHE COMES IN WITH SO MUCH ENERGY TO THE REHEARSAL PROCESS.
IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.
>> I TOOK EVERY OPPORTUNITY I COULD TO SIT AND CHAT WITH HER
ABOUT NOTHING AND ABOUT VERY IMPORTANT THINGS.
ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY, ABOUT HOW UNKIND IT CAN BE TO LATINAS.
>> RITA MORENO WOULD BRING UP TO THOSE YOUNG CAST MEMBERS
THOSE STORIES ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE MAKEUP DEPARTMENT
DARKENING THE SKIN OF SOME OF THE ACTORS.
>> THERE WAS NOT AN UNDERSTANDING THAT PUERTO RICANS
HAVE ALL THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW AND A VERY COMPLEX
>> I USED TO HATE THAT VERY DARK MAKEUP THAT THEY USED ON ALL THE
SHARKS. I MEAN, WE WERE REALLY ALL
MOSTLY ONE SHADE. AND I SAID, "GOD, I HATE THIS
MAKEUP. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO DARK?"
I SAID, "I'M PUERTO RICAN. WHY CAN'T WE BE MY COLOR?"
IT TRULY NEVER OCCURRED TO ME THAT TIMES WOULD CHANGE.
>> DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
>> RITA'S PERFORMANCE AS ANITA WOULD OF COURSE CAST A SHADOW
OVER ARIANA DEBOSE, WHO NOW HAD TO TAKE ON THIS ICONIC ROLE.
AND THOSE ARE SOME PRETTY BIG SHOES TO STEP INTO.
>> I ALMOST DIDN'T AUDITION FOR THE FILM.
I IDENTIFY AS AFRO‐LATINO, AND GROWING UP, I DIDN'T NECESSARILY
HAVE ACCESS TO MY HISPANIC HERITAGE.
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
>> SPEAK ENGLISH.
>> I THOUGHT THAT I WASN'T HISPANIC ENOUGH, OR THAT I
WASN'T LATINA ENOUGH. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS.
I'M NOT BLACK ENOUGH IN CERTAIN CIRCLES.
AND I'M NOT LATINA ENOUGH IN OTHERS.
AND "WEST SIDE STORY" ODDLY ENOUGH WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
EXPERIENCES I'VE EVER HAD WHERE I FELT EMBRACED BY A COMMUNITY
AND WHAT I HAD TO OFFER WAS ENOUGH.
I SAID TO STEVEN SPIELBERG, "IF YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO CONSIDER
ME FOR THIS PART, I HOPE THAT YOU WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I'M A
BLACK WOMAN."
>> SHE GOT THE JOB BECAUSE SHE DANCED LIKE THERE WAS NO
TOMORROW. SHE COULD SING ‐‐
♪♪
‐‐ LIKE THERE WASN'T YESTERDAY.
>> ARIANA, ANITA, IS A STANDOUT.
♪♪
>> SHE'S FIERCE.
>> ANITA IS SHEER BEAUTY AND AMBITION AND PASSION.
AND I'M ALL THOSE THINGS.
>> STILL AHEAD ‐‐ THE TWO GENERATIONS OF ANITA
COME TOGETHER FACE TO FACE, AND FIERCE TO FIERCE.
>> YOU HAD TO PLAY YOUR OWN ANITA. YOU HAD TO.
>> BUT FIRST, WE'RE TAKING YOU WHERE SPIELBERG RARELY ALLOWS
CAMERAS ‐‐ ONTO HIS VERY OWN SET. NEXT.
♪♪
>>> STEVEN SPIELBERG'S VERSION OF "WEST SIDE STORY."
I DON'T THINK OF IT AS A REMAKE. IT'S A RE‐IMAGINING.
>> THIS IS A TRADITION IN ALL OF OUR MOVIES WHERE WE TOAST THE
FIRST SHOT AND WE TOAST THE LAST SHOT.
WELL, THE WHOLE TEMPLATE OF OUR RE‐IMAGINED "WEST SIDE STORY"
WAS IT NEEDED TO BE AUTHENTIC. IT NEEDED TO BE REALISTIC.
IT HAD TO FEEL LIKE THESE WERE THE REAL STREETS THAT THESE
STORIES AND THIS TRAGEDY WAS TAKING PLACE ON.
>> ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT STEVEN SAID TO ME, HE SAID, "I
FEEL LIKE THERE'S A KIND OF URBAN POVERTY ON THE STREETS
THAT'S PART OF WHAT WAS INTENDED IN "WEST SIDE STORY" THAT I'D
REALLY LIKE TO CAPTURE. THERE'S A SERIES OF SOCIAL
PRESSURES WHERE FLESH MEETS CEMENT.
>> THE OPENING SHOT OF OUR FILM ACTUALLY SHOWS THE DEMOLITION
THAT IS BEING DONE TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT PEOPLE WERE
BEING EVICTED, AND WHY THE JETS AND THE SHARKS ARE FIGHTING OVER
TERRITORY, AT WHAT WOULD LATER BECOME LINCOLN CENTER.
>> THERE IS A NEW "MAKING OF WEST SIDE STORY" BOOK WITH
PHOTOGRAPHS AND YOU CAN SEE THE EPIC SCALE OF THE PRODUCTION.
>> I DAMN NEAR PASSED OUT WHEN I SAW THE SET OF OUR LITTLE
BARRIO, WHICH WAS NOT SO LITTLE EITHER.
>> I WANTED TO FEEL NEW YORK. AND I WANTED TO FEEL NEW YORK
IN 1957.
>> I REMEMBER THERE WAS ONE DAY WE WERE SHOOTING IN HARLEM.
AND WE TURN LEFT ONTO BROADWAY, AND FOR, LIKE, TEN BLOCKS
THERE'S NOTHING BUT 1957. THERE'S HUNDREDS OF EXTRAS,
SIGNAGE, STOREFRONTS.
>> AND WE'RE ALL DRESSED UP, AND THE CARS ARE DRIVING BY, AND
THEY'RE ALL OLD‐FASHIONED CARS.
>> AND IT'S LIKE, ONLY SPIELBERG COULD TURN BACK TIME AND BRING
US INTO THIS REALITY.
>> THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT NOT FEEL LIKE A MUSICAL.
IT JUST FEELS REAL INSTEAD.
>> SO TO DELVE BACK IN TIME, THE CAST AND THE CREW CHECKED OUT
THE WORK OF DOCUMENTARIANS FROM THAT ERA, LIKE BRUCE DAVIDSON.
>> AND YOU SEE, LIKE, THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE DESPERATE AND AT
THE SAME TIME ARE NIHILISTIC, AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE OF
THE EXTREME POVERTY, AND THEY DON'T REALLY SEE A FUTURE FOR
THEMSELF. THAT'S NOT, LIKE, A REAL THING
FOR THEM.
>> THE JETS ARE THE GREATEST AND YOU, YOU'RE LIKE, YOU KNOW,
BLOOD TO ME.
>> YOU KNOW, I WAS VERY STRICT ABOUT KEEPING THE JETS IN A COOL
TONE. A LOT OF GRAYS AND BLUES. AND THEN TO CREATE A CONTRAST
WITH THE SHARKS, STRONG REDS AND YELLOWS, AND WARM TONES.
>> AND WE REALLY SEE THOSE REDS AND YELLOWS POP ON THE SCREEN IN
THIS RE‐IMAGINED VERSION OF "AMERICA."
♪♪
>> SO IT'S ORIGINALLY A PERFORMANCE ON A ROOFTOP, LIKE
AN ARGUMENT IN A PARTY, BUT THIS VERSION OF "AMERICA" SWEEPS INTO
THE STREETS OF NEW YORK. WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU PUT
"AMERICA" INTO THE STREET?
>> IT JUST OPENED EVERYTHING UP. THE CAST SMILED BIGGER.
EVERYBODY SMILED BIGGER.
>> WE WERE DANCING IN A HEAT WAVE IN NEW YORK CITY.
I KID YOU NOT. I BURNED HOLES IN MY SHOES.
>> HOW HOT WAS IT OUT THERE WHEN YOU SHOT THAT?
>> THAT WAS BAD. THAT WAS BAD.
YOU'RE BRINGING UP THE BAD NEWS NOW. THAT WAS BAD.
>> JEROME ROBBINS' ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY WAS LEGENDARY, AND
JUSTIN PECK WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH IT.
AND HE GOT TO RE‐INTERPRET THAT CHOREOGRAPHY FOR THIS VERSION.
>> WHAT JEROME ROBBINS DID WITH "WEST SIDE STORY" REALLY MOVED
THE NEEDLE IN TERMS OF HOW DANCE AS A LANGUAGE COULD TELL A
STORY. SO IT'S A REALLY FINE LINE, A
KIND OF TIGHTROPE WALK REMAKING AN ORIGINAL VERSION OF SOMETHING.
>> I WANT TO DANCE!
>> SO IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF TOPPING, IT'S A QUESTION OF
FINDING YOUR OWN LANGUAGE WITH THE FILM AND WITH THE
CHOREOGRAPHY.
>> WE LOOKED AT THAT TIME PERIOD IN PARTICULAR, AND HOW, LIKE,
THE EVOLUTION FROM MAMBO TO SALSA WAS VERY MUCH, LIKE, KIND
OF RIGHT IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS.
♪♪
>> TWO THINGS THAT AREN'T CHANGING ARE MUSIC AND LYRICS.
IN THE ORIGINAL 1961 FILM, TONY AND MARIA'S SINGING VOICES WERE
DUBBED. WHEN WE HEAR RACHEL AND ANSEL,
YOU'LL ACTUALLY HEAR THEM SINGING SONDHEIM'S UNFORGETTABLE
LYRICS.
♪♪
>> IT WAS SO COOL AND SO NERVE‐RACKING TO HAVE
STEPHEN SONDHEIM IN THE ROOM WHILE YOU'RE SINGING HIS LYRICS.
ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE IS THAT
HE CALLED ME A NIGHTINGALE, AND THAT HE DIDN'T WANT ME TO KNOW
THAT HE CALLED ME A NIGHTINGALE, BUT HE DID.
>> THE COLORS, THE LIGHTS, EVERYTHING DOES ALL THE WORK FOR
YOU. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WALK DOWN
THE STREET AND SING THE SONG.
>> THE JOY, THE JOY WAS PALPABLE.
>> IT TOOK 430 CAST AND CREW MEMBERS TO BRING 1957 TO LIFE,
AND NOW, ONCE THE FILM OPENS, AUDIENCES WILL GET TO SEE FOR
THEMSELVES.
>> I WOULD COME HOME EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, AND I WOULD SAY TO
KATE, "YOU KNOW WHAT I'M DREADING?
THE LAST DAY OF SHOOTING. I DON'T WANT THIS EVER TO END."
>> THAT WAS GREAT! GREAT JOB!
>> COMING UP, WHAT THE BELOVED ORIGINAL FILM OF "WEST SIDE
STORY" GOT WRONG.
>> I GOT THIS CLOSE TO NOT DOING IT.
>> THAT THE NEW FILMMAKERS ARE FINALLY MAKING RIGHT. NEXT.
♪♪
>>> THERE WOULDN'T BE A STEVEN SPIELBERG "WEST SIDE
STORY" HAD THERE NOT BEEN THE ORIGINAL ONE.
>> RITA MORENO ALMOST DIDN'T DO THIS FILM BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T
LIKE A LYRIC IN THE SONG "AMERICA."
>> ONE DAY BEFORE WE ACTUALLY STARTED REHEARSALS, I LOOKED AT
THE SCORE AND THERE IT IS ‐‐
♪ PUERTO RICO
YOU UGLY ISLAND ISLAND OF TROPIC DISEASES ♪
AND I WENT ‐‐
[ GASP ]
AND IT FELT AWFUL. IT FELT HORRIBLE.
AND I THOUGHT, "I CAN'T DO THIS. I CAN'T DO THIS TO MY PEOPLE."
I GOT THIS CLOSE TO NOT DOING IT. WITHIN DAYS I GOT A NEW SCRIPT.
AND WHEN I LOOKED AT "AMERICA," IT WENT ‐‐
♪ PUERTO RICO
MY HEART'S DEVOTION
LET IT SINK BACK IN THE OCEAN ♪
AND I WAS SAVED.
>> I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHE CAN LIVE WITH, BECAUSE SHE
STILL HAS HER LOVE FOR HER BELOVED PUERTO RICO.
>> IN ITS ORIGINAL INCARNATION, "WEST SIDE STORY" WAS THE WORK
OF FOUR CREATORS WHO IN A SENSE THEMSELVES WERE PART OF A
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY IN AMERICA.
FOR 2021, THEY KNEW THAT THIS NEW VERSION HAD TO GO BEYOND
EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING.
>> WE KNOW SO MUCH MORE NOW ABOUT IDENTITY, ABOUT
REPRESENTATION. THIS FILM MUST REFLECT THAT.
>> STEVEN AND I WANTED TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT THE PUERTO RICAN
COMMUNITY WAS THINKING AND FEELING ABOUT OUR IDEA THAT WE
WERE GOING TO MAKE THIS.
>> HOW WILL YOU REPRESENT US IN THIS NEW VERSION OF "WEST SIDE
STORY"?
>> ONE OF THE REASONS WE ARE HERE, ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE
HIRED SO MANY PUERTO RICAN SINGERS, DANCERS, AND ACTORS, IS
SO THEY CAN HELP GUIDE US TO REPRESENT PUERTO RICO IN A WAY
THAT WILL MAKE ALL OF YOU AND ALL OF US PROUD.
>> WHY WAS THAT SO IMPORTANT?
>> BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT REPRESENTATION BE AUTHENTIC, TO
RETURN THE PIECE TO THE INTEGRITY THAT I THINK IT
DESERVES.
>> SPIELBERG AND KUSHNER BROUGHT IN HISTORICAL CONSULTANTS TO
HELP GUIDE THE CAST SO THEY MIGHT BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
PEOPLE OF THAT TIME REALLY WERE GOING THROUGH.
>> WE HAD A HUGE TEAM OF DOZENS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE EVERY
DAY MAKING SURE THAT NOT ONLY THAT IT STAYS TRUE TO PUERTO
RICANS, BUT THAT IT STAYS TRUE TO PUERTO RICANS IN THE '50S.
>> AND WE BROUGHT ALL THESE MATERIAL, ALL THESE EXPRESSIONS,
AND LANGUAGE, IDIOSYNCRASIES, AND WAYS OF REACTING TO
THINGS ‐‐ ALL OF THAT, WE THREW IT ON THE TABLE.
>> PARTS OF THE FILM HAVE SPANISH DIALOGUE WITH NO
SUBTITLES.
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
>> AND IT REALLY BRINGS YOU IN AS A VIEWER TO THE EXPERIENCE OF
LIVING IN A BILINGUAL HOUSEHOLD.
>> THE PEOPLE THAT WE MEET WHO ARE PUERTO RICAN HERITAGE IN THE
MUSICAL ARE NEW ARRIVALS IN NEW YORK.
AND THEY'RE GREETED WITH RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA.
>> IT'S THE THING ABOUT, "YOU ARE DIFFERENT THAN ME, YOU DO
NOT BELONG ON THIS BLOCK."
>> SO WE TOOK THAT AND RAN WITH IT. WE TOOK IT FARTHER THAN IT
SEEMED POSSIBLE I THINK TO TAKE IT IN 1957.
>> WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE TELLING THE HISTORIC
EVENTS OF THE MOMENT.
>> THE JETS ARE THESE GUTTER RATS WHO ARE BEING FLUSHED OUT
OF THE GUTTER. THE PUERTO RICANS ARE PEOPLE WHO
HAVE ARRIVED AND ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO SORT OF FIND THEIR WAY
INTO THE AMERICAN DREAM, AND THEY'RE AT EACH OTHER'S THROATS.
>> THE RECENT ARRIVALS HAD MOVED INTO WHAT HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN AN
AFRICAN‐AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED SAN JUAN HILL.
IT WAS A HUGE AREA FROM BROADWAY ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER FROM
ABOUT 60th STREET TO 72nd STREET, THAT WAS TARGETED FOR
DEMOLITION BY ROBERT MOSES.
>> WHILE THEIR ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD IS BEING DESTROYED
BY THE WRECKING BALL, THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR THE RUINS WHERE
THEY'RE CLEARING OUT SAN JUAN HILL IN ORDER TO BUILD THE
LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.
>> THAT WAS A PUERTO RICAN NEIGHBORHOOD, AND A LOT OF
PEOPLE WHO GOT DISPLACED.
>> TONY KUSHNER BROUGHT A HUGE DEPTH TO THE WRITING OF EACH OF
THESE INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS.
>> WHAT I LOVE THE MOST ABOUT BEING ABLE TO PLAY A CHARACTER
LIKE BERNARDO WAS THAT I COULD REPRESENT MY CULTURE, I COULD
REPRESENT THE STRUGGLES OF WHAT IT'S LIKE TO COME TO A NEW PLACE
AND FIGURE OUT FROM SCRATCH HOW YOU'RE GOING TO SURVIVE.
>> THE CASTING OF ANYBODIES REFLECTS THE REPRESENTATION OF
ANOTHER COMMUNITY WHICH HAS FOUGHT SO HARD FOR RECOGNITION.
ANYBODIES PREVIOUSLY WAS DESCRIBED AS A TOMBOY.
>> I'M A KILLER, I WANT TO FIGHT.
>> IN HIS VERSION, SPIELBERG CASTS TRANS NON‐BINARY ACTOR
IRIS MENAS, WHO BRINGS A NEW IDENTITY TO THIS CHARACTER.
>> YOU KNOW, WE REALLY JUST FEAR WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.
AND WE ALL NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OPEN AND COMPASSIONATE
TOWARD ONE ANOTHER.
>> STEVEN HAS THIS STRANGELY UNCANNY ABILITY TO DO PIECES
THAT MIRROR SOCIETY AND WHERE WE ARE.
>> DIVISIONS BETWEEN UNLIKE‐MINDED PEOPLE IS AS OLD
AS TIME ITSELF.
>> THE WORLD WANTS TO DIVIDE ITSELF ALWAYS, THEM AND US,
DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS. THERE ARE JETS AND SHARKS
EVERYWHERE.
>> KILL THE LIGHTS.
>> THIS COUNTRY IS BETTER THAN IT WAS, BUT IT IS STILL
IMPERILED. AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO THINK
ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ACHIEVED AND THE GREAT DISTANCE
THAT WE STILL HAVE TO GO.
>> THOUGH IT'S A TRAGEDY IN THE END, THERE'S STILL A REAL SENSE
OF HOPE. THAT EVEN IN THE FACE OF TRAGEDY, THERE CAN BE SO MUCH
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.
>> LOVE ENDURES INTOLERANCE, AND PREJUDICE HAS TO BE DEFEATED ONE
LOVE STORY AT A TIME. AND THIS WAS THE ONE LOVE STORY
THAT I WANTED TO TELL.
♪♪
RITA MORENO GOES ONE‐ON‐ONE WITH ANITA 3.0.
>> YOU PLAY EVERY POSSIBLE COLOR KNOWN TO MAN IN THIS ONE ROLE,
AND SHE'S A FEMALE.
>> AND SHE'S A FEMALE.
>> NEXT.
♪♪
>>> WE'RE CLAPPED, WE'RE SLATED?
>> YEAH, WE'RE SLATED.
>> WILL, WE'RE GOOD?
>> YES, SIR.
>> LET'S GO.
>> I PERSONALLY AM VERY GLAD THAT WE GET TO DO THIS.
THE FIRST TIME I MET YOU, I WAS INCREDIBLY AWKWARD.
>> YOU WEREN'T AWKWARD. YOU WERE ‐‐ YOU WERE NERVOUS, IS
WHAT YOU WERE.
>> I WAS, OOF ‐‐ BEYOND. I'M STILL NERVOUS. A LITTLE BIT.
I'M SWEATING. IT'S FINE.
>> OH, COME ON!
>> IT NEVER GOES AWAY.
>> WE'RE PLAYING, YOU KNOW, TWO DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF ONE
CHARACTER ‐‐
>> ‐‐ OF ONE CHARACTER. IT'S AMAZING.
I UNDERSTOOD ANITA SO WELL, BECAUSE I WAS BORN IN
PUERTO RICO. I WAS BROUGHT TO THE
UNITED STATES WHEN I WAS 5 YEARS OLD.
MY FIRST AMERICAN EXPERIENCE WAS LOOKING AT THE ICE CREAM CONE.
I THOUGHT, ON THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT
IT WAS ‐‐ AN ICE CREAM CONE, WOW! AND MY MOTHER EXPLAINED WHAT
THAT WAS. YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE.
>> I HAD A SIMILAR REACTION WHEN I FIRST READ THIS SCRIPT.
I REALIZED VERY QUICKLY THAT THIS WAS A WOMAN WHO WANTED TO
ASSIMILATE. I AM PUERTO RICAN, I'M ALSO
BIRACIAL. MY MOTHER IS WHITE, AND I GREW
UP IN A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE COMMUNITY.
AND I SHED SO MANY THINGS IN ORDER TO FIT IN.
AND THEN IN MY ADULTHOOD, I REALIZED I HAD SHED SOME OF THE
MOST SPECIAL AND UNIQUE PARTS ABOUT ME.
AND THAT'S WHERE MY ANITA COMES FROM.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ABSOLUTELY ATTRACTED ME WAS
PLAYING SOMEONE WHO NOT ONLY HAD AN OPINION, BUT WAS PLEASED TO
OPINE.
>> GIRLS HERE ARE FREE TO HAVE FUN. SHE IS IN AMERICA NOW.
>> ANITA HAS TAUGHT ME A LOT ABOUT SELF‐RESPECT.
I AM SOMEONE, I THINK WE CAN AGREE ‐‐
[ LAUGHTER ]
WHO IS NOT AFRAID TO USE THE WORD "NO."
BUT, YOU KNOW, EVEN I HAVE MY OWN JOURNEY WITH SELF‐RESPECT.
>> BUT YOU KNOW WHY THAT JOURNEY IS SO DIFFICULT?
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST THING WE'VE BEEN CONVINCED FOR
TOO MANY YEARS IN THE PAST THAT WE HAVEN'T EARNED IT.
ESPECIALLY IF YOU COME FROM ANOTHER NATIONALITY.
>> YOUR BROTHER HAS SOMETHING TO SAY TO YOU.
>> I APOLOGIZE FOR BEHAVING LAST NIGHT LIKE A ‐‐
>> LIKE A GANGSTER!
>> I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T TAKE A MOMENT TO JUST TELL YOU
THANK YOU. I WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT YOU.
I CAN'T IMAGINE ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU WENT THROUGH, BUT
BECAUSE OF ALL THOSE THINGS YOU WENT THROUGH, I HAVE OPPORTUNITY.
AND YOU ARE, YOU'RE A HERO. THANK YOU.
>> YOU KNOW, ARIANA, YOU ARE A REMARKABLE YOUNG WOMAN.
FIRST OF ALL, THE CHOICE TO CHOOSE YOU AS ANITA, I THOUGHT
WAS GORGEOUSLY PLACED BECAUSE I LOVED THE IDEA THAT YOU WERE
AFRO‐LATINA.
>> YEAH.
>> I PUT MYSELF IN YOUR PLACE WHEN YOU DO "AMERICA," AND I
JUST, I GLORY IN IT. IT'S WONDERFUL.
>> HEY, Y'ALL! I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE I
ACTUALLY DID IT FOR THE VERY FIRST MOVIE.
SO I THOUGHT THIS WOULD KIND OF BRING THIS FULL CIRCLE. TAKE 12.
>> I AM SO GRATEFUL TO THE GODS UP THERE, THE PLANETS ALIGNING,
THAT ALL OF THIS HAPPENED. I'M IN "WEST SIDE STORY," AGAIN.
>> AGAIN!
>> PEOPLE LIKE STEPHEN SONDHEIM, WHO WE SHALL MISS DREADFULLY,
AND STEVEN SPIELBERG AND TONY KUSHNER WERE AROUND TO MAKE
THIS HAPPEN.
♪ HOW LUCKY CAN YOU GET ♪
♪♪