If you've ever wanted to know more about the EGOT-winning actress Rita Moreno, and all of the ups and downs of her legendary, decades-long career as a multi-hyphenate actress, dancer, and singer, Roadside Attractions' latest doc, Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It, is the perfect way to do so!
And PRIDE got the chance to speak with the living legend herself!
"I never thought of it as showcasing, I thought of it as sharing experiences with people who assumed that all I did was win awards," Moreno told PRIDE when asked about whether or not she had any hesitations or reservations about showcasing her vulnerable side in the doc. "I have a passel full of them. I mean, I have them coming out of my behind. So there's more to this person than awards. And while there's nothing not only not wrong with them, it's lovely, what's more important is the person who lives with those awards and who earned some of those awards. That's what counts. And to everybody's surprise, but not mine, I've gone through a lot. I've suffered a lot. I've been sad a lot. I've been maligned a lot because I'm an outlier, but that's not a surprise to my people because they've been living through this for a very long time. And we still are. And it can still get better."
When asked if she had a Pride Month message for her loyal queer fanbase that she's amassed as a musical theater legend over the years, and as one of the main characters in the recent queer-inclusive sitcom One Day at a Time, Rita said, "I don't have anything to say differently than I would to my own people because we were all outliers! If you're gay, you're an outlier. I'm Puerto Rican and I've been an outlier most of my life. So I'm thrilled to pieces to expose those parts of my life that were difficult and that I was able in some way or another to help myself out of."
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It is in theaters now!
