Rita Moreno had some sweet words for Ariana DeBose after she had a ‘panic attack’ on the set of ‘West Side Story’

We don’t always get to meet our idols, but this was not the case for Ariana DeBose, who made her dream come true and needed to take a moment before meeting Hollywood legend Rita Moreno, her co-star in Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story.’

The 31-year-old actress plays Anita in the 2021 film, the role that Rita played in the 1961 acclaimed musical. On a recent joint interview with the rest of the cast, the pair revealed some behind the scenes situations that took place on the set of the movie, including the moment the two stars met.

© BY NIKO TAVERNISE/TWENTIETH CENTURY STUDIOS.

DeBose said she couldn’t hide her excitement when she first met Rita as the cast was getting ready for rehearsals, “I was having a full-fledged panic attack,” DeBose confessed, “I hid underneath the bleachers for like 20 minutes until I could get myself together.”

The actress had to pull herself together and prepared to meet Moreno for lunch, who gave her some sweet words of encouragement, “She calmed me down and gave me the space to feel my feelings. She was like, ‘It’s OK. It’s a lot,’” and added, “You passed the audition. You got the part. There’s a reason for that.”

© Courtesy of AMPAS

And about her audition for the role, DeBose said she was hesitant about auditioning as she is Afro-Latina, “When I thought of Anita, I thought of Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera,” she explained, “Debbie Allen and Valarie Pettiford have played the role, but the most famous incarnations of this character just do not look like me, and they’re beloved portrayals.”