Rita Moreno Takes Pride in Her Heritage and Growing Up in the U.S., in August/September Issue of AARP The Magazine

In an exclusive interview for AARP The Magazine (ATM), award-winning Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno reflects on experiencing racism firsthand, living the American dream and breaking through in Hollywood and on Broadway as a Hispanic actress.

From hopeful immigrant to Oscar winner, the 86-year-old legend speaks candidly about the struggle of minorities hoping to work in Hollywood from the 1960s to present day. Although Moreno faced challenges throughout her career, she remains proud of her Hispanic heritage and the opportunities provided in the United States.

Moreno's interview is part of "The Latino American Dream," a seven-page special section in this month's ATM that shares the stories and insights of over a dozen well-known Hispanic Americans from entertainment, media, journalism, science, business and other industries.

Moreno shares with ATM, "Who could imagine that even af­ter I won the Oscar, those who could employ me would continue to cast me as a Spanish spitfire. I was still only offered those dusky maiden roles. I decided that I would never do one of those roles again: 'Ha, ha, I'll show them!' But they showed me-I didn't do a film for seven years after West Side Story. It broke my heart. I couldn't understand it. I still don't understand. And there you have it, Hollywood's mindset at the time."

Racism and discrimination, however, did not prevent Moreno from breaking down barriers in the industry and achieving tremendous success - she is one of just 12 people to hold an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony). Moreno also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, with past recipients, including Elie Wiesel, Malala Yousafzai, and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Moreno continues to grace the screen and is currently filming the third season of Netflix's comedy One Day at a Time, a reboot of Norman Lear's original. In 2015, Moreno released her first all-Spanish album Una Vez Más, produced by Grammy-winner Emilio Estefan.

Moreno is not stopping any time soon. When asked about her outlook on life in ATM, Moreno says, "I expect wonderful things to happen. That's my outlook, and it's a good one. It seems odd - it's as though I've needed to get older to have more success."

The following are excerpts from ATM's August/September 2018 cover story featuring Rita Moreno, available in homes starting August and available online now atwww.aarp.org/magazine/.

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