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When it comes to fashion, Rita Moreno is always ready to impress. The beloved and iconic actress, dancer, and singer, recently attended the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival to celebrate the Puerto Rican Day Parade, ahead of the release of her highly-awaited documentary, Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It.
The 89-year-old icon chose a black jacket and matching pants for the occasion and a flowing white shirt to create contrast. To add a pop of color, Moreno opted for oversized accessories. The star rocked an eye-catching necklace and a pair of gold earrings.
During the weekend, the EGOT-winning actress also premiered Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It , directed by Mariem Pérez Riera and produced by Pérez Riera, and Brent Miller. The biopic shows how Moreno went from New York City kid to a movie star and women’s rights activist.
Enjoying a storied life in the spotlight, the dynamic Puerto Rican icon shares the challenges of being a Latina in Hollywood and the triumphs of her incredible 70-year career. “The film chronicles Moreno from her early years in Puerto Rico through her childhood as an immigrant in New York City and the racial bias she faced in the studio system while breaking down barriers and overcoming sexism and identity discrimination with integrity.”
The documentary includes interviews with Moreno as she candidly discusses sexual abuse, racial bias, and the glass ceiling she smashed through.
The documentary also includes the participation of George Chakiris, Héctor Elizondo, Gloria Estefan, Tom Fontana, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Karen Olivo.
“Little Puerto Rican girl who nobody thought much of, at MGM with a contract,” she says. But that contract came with terrifying power. “I really was often treated like a sex object,” says the West Side Story star.
It was explained that at the time, the studio would ask contract players to go on pretend dates. “Before I know it, he’s forcing himself on me,” Moreno heartbreaking recalls.” The One Day At a Time actress was also forced to accept stereotypical roles because that’s all was available. Eva Longoria explains in the trailer, “it really hurt her soul to have to play those characters in that way.”