West Side Glory

"Immigrant goes to America; Many hellos in America; Nobody knows in America; Puerto Rico's in America!"

Hotter than a muggy, sweaty New York night, "America" blazed across a tenement rooftop as one of the most electric song-and-dance sequences ever to sizzle on screen in 1961's "West Side Story," sassy Rita Moreno the firecracker at its core as Anita, the role that earned her an Oscar. She's since piled on Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards as the first female and only Puerto Rican performer to hit for the big show-biz cycle.

Here, the personable Moreno -- who'll take the Ham Hall stage tonight at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas -- discusses "West Side Story," roles in TV's "Oz," "Cane," "Ugly Betty" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom and inspiring other Hispanic performers:

Question: Do you look back fondly on "West Side Story"?

Answer: With that movie winning so many Oscars (10) and it took "Titanic" (11 Oscars) to beat us, it absolutely galls me that it took a movie like that to beat us!

Q: Did they make you exaggerate a Puerto Rican accent?

A: I spoke then the way I speak now. They wanted all the Sharks to speak with accents. We weren't thrilled about that, or that we all had to wear the same shade of makeup because Puerto Ricans are many shades. Poor George Chakiris (Bernardo). If you watch the prologue, there are a couple close-ups of him where he looks like he was dipped into a bucket of mud. Oh, man!

Q: You've previously said the candy-store scene, where you're abused by the Jets, was the toughest to shoot. Why?

A: Boy, talk about trauma. The Jet boys were calling me terrible names like Garlic Mouth and Pierced Ear and Gold Tooth and it hit some unconscious wounds that never really healed. We rehearsed it for a week, and just before we were to shoot that scene, I sat down on the candy-store stool and started to sob. I could not stop crying. (Director) Bob Wise, God bless him, called an early lunch and let me get it out. You know what was so touching? All the kids playing the Jets came out to me saying, "Oh Rita, we love you! Please don't cry!" and "Oh my God, the audience is going to hate us!" It was so sweet. But those (curses) went past me and into my heart and just broke my heart.

Q: Wasn't that scene a symbolic rape of Anita?

A: Exactly. When Doc comes in to stop them, they are elevating Baby John over my body and they have me trapped on the floor. You know what? I think that's the scene that won me the Oscar. I don't think you get Oscars for dancing, even though "America" is an amazing number.

Q: Jumping ahead, HBO's "Oz" was an often brutal show. What was the experience like playing the nun/psychologist, Sister Peter Marie?

A: We really wanted the show to go on. (Creator) Tom Fontana just felt burned out. Not more than three months later, he said to me, "I just thought of more episodes I could have done." I said, "Don't even talk to me, I will kill you!" Look at that role. How could I not love it? Tom's sister did that kind of work, and he based it on her.

Q: Recently, you were on the promising series "Cane," which was canceled. What happened?

A: We were a victim of the writers strike. And CBS was so dead certain we were going to be a runaway hit that they put us up against "House," "Damages," which was so hot, and "SVU." It was the only show on TV, ever, depicting a family that was wealthy, could speak English very well, gorgeous and Latino all in one show. I was so thrilled to do it, and it broke my heart when that show was dropped.

Q: Recently, you had a multiepisode arc on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" as Detective Goren's dying, schizophrenic mother. Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays Goren, is such a quirky, interesting actor. What was it like working with him?

A: Like bread and butter. Wow! I love him. The very first day I came in for the first episode, as we were rehearsing, he stopped the scene and said to me in the most polite way, you know how he speaks so softly: "Excuse me, Rita, would you mind if we don't allow each other to finish each other's sentences?" I knew exactly what he meant -- just make it look improvised. And that's all I did. I got the most wonderful letter from the producer who said to me, "I can't remember when I've seen Vincent better, and it's because of you." I just love that man.

Q: President Bush gave you the Medal of Freedom in 2004. Was that a thrill?

A: It was a bittersweet moment, because I didn't like him very much. But he really had nothing to do with my choice, and I was very grateful to have been honored and recognized for my community service over the years.

Q: Has it been important to you to be a role model for other Hispanic performers?

A: Latino performers can look to me and say, "If she can get an Oscar, there's no reason I can't aim for something higher." Jennifer Lopez is always bringing up my name, and Jimmy Smits. I met Salma Hayek a few years ago and she said, "Ju are my i-cun!"

Q: You guest-starred on "Ugly Betty" with America Ferrera. Any advice for her?

A: A lovely, remarkable young woman. At the end of the shoot, I brought a picture of myself holding the Oscar. I've never done that before. She got teary when I dedicated it to her: "Don't let anyone intrude on your vision."

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.