A young Rita Moreno tried to mimic Elizabeth Taylor in her appearance, but when it came to her hair, she kept her cultural identity.
At the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Moreno, 89, talked about her early years in Hollywood and Gene Kelly’s request to cut her hair for her role as Zelda Zanders in the 1952 film ‘Singin’ in the Rain.
“I did something so Latina because I was the shyest person on the planet, and I said no,” Moreno, who is the subject of the documentary “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.”
“And he was really surprised because no one ever said no to Gene Kelly, and I was shocked when I said that.”
Kelly asked her why, and the Puerto Rican star said it went against her culture.
“Well, we don’t cut my hair where I live, we don’t,” she said.
Kelly “put up” and put her in the red wig, which “entranced” her because it required light makeup while she was used to being cast only in dark roles that required an accent.
“I played a white game,” she said, “and I was excited because I thought, ‘Okay, that’s the end of those other parts where I have to talk with accents and all that kind of thing.
During the chat, which also featured “Sesame Street” star Sonia Manzano, Morena also discussed being completely honest in her documentary, which meant she shouldn’t wear makeup despite the presence of a camera.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she joked. ‘It’s really not me. I’m kidding, but boy it’s shocking. It’s shocking – some of those scenes that I don’t have any makeup on at all. But I thought it was in line with my promise to myself, and I had no intention of running into my bedroom … to beautify myself. “
Moreno said she has what she would call “a classic actor’s face,” which means it “changes completely” with cosmetics.
‘As I put on the makeup, I say to myself,’ That’s great. How do I do that?’ I was made for makeup, ”she said. “It’s really fascinating to me.”