I'm a person who perseveres. You know, you fall down, you get up.
— Rita Moreno
A lot of young Latino actors have said to me, 'Why can't we get an Oscar? Why can't we be nominated?' And the terrible truth is that if you don't get the right parts, you're not going to be. Are you going to get an Oscar nomination for one of those Judd Apatow movies? Not likely, no matter what nationality you are.
'LIFE Magazine' decided to do a story about a young actress in Hollywood in 1954. And I made the cover. And I remember that the fellow who was doing the story on me said, 'Listen, kid, I just want you to know, if Eisenhower gets a cold, you're off the cover.'
I love being onstage, I love getting applause, and I love the love that comes across the footlights. It's so much a part of what I do and what I've done most of my life.
I am the happiest Hispanic I've ever met. Truly.
Smell the roses. Smell the coffee. Whatever it is that makes you happy.
Let's face it. How often do you see an Asian face in films and television? They are practically invisible. Now and then, you will get one, and, interestingly, he gets the role of a scientist. Isn't that interesting?
Oh, I think Scarlett Johansson is a terrific actress. I think she's just marvelous.
The one thing I really learned, and learned well, in group therapy was that you don't die if someone doesn't like you.
My grandkids are everything to me. For me, family is all!
I'm one of those performers who has done just about everything except juggle, and I'm working on that.
People say that when you get to a certain age that you start to mellow. I have no idea what these people are talking about.
I had a very poor image of myself because I believed too much of the people around me when I was very young.
Any character who had dark skin, I got all those parts. I could play a Polynesian, East Indian princess, whatever.
You can wish to have an Oscar someday or some other award, but Life Achievement? You don't see yourself that way.
Maybe Elvis was inhibited by inbred religious prohibitions or an Oedipal complex, or maybe he simply preferred the thrill of a denied release. Whatever put the brakes on the famous pelvis, it ground to a halt at a certain point, and that was it.
You talk about meant to be - oh my goodness, I have never done anything else in my life except be a performer.
I love Hallmark movies because they make movies that you don't see anymore... and at a time when there is so much evil in the world, it's kind of nice to be able to retreat to something like a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.
If you're going to make black movies only about black people, that's as bad as white movies only about white people.
There is something about sex that always brings out the funny in me. I think it's because we make such fools of ourselves over it.
Certain roles for older women are aimed at certain older actresses - I'm not one of those. I've been offered any number of Puerto Rican grandmas that I've turned down.
If I get a hangnail, I don't dare complain! Life is good. I wake up humming.
I wore so much rubber when I was at MGM, I bumped into the wall once, and I ricocheted.
I've been neurotic in my life; I've had neurotic relationships with men. What else is new? But you really have to learn to be resilient - able to bounce back, pick yourself up, and just keep moving.
Being in service and being involved in something that is greater than you is what makes a person complete and whole. The very first thing I ever did in terms of activism was for an anti-atom bomb rally.
Maybe it's my age, but I know I look good, so I'm not going to look like another person suddenly because I don't have makeup on - same hair, same person.
I started dancing almost before I could walk.
I figure if I keep my spirit in shape, the bones will take care of themselves.
I'm proud of me.
I first became aware of Gina Rodriguez when she was just starting out starring on 'Jane the Virgin,' and a friend sent me an article in which she mentioned me.
I was not treated like a serious young actress, and that was very hard. It sent me into psychotherapy, which is one of the smartest things I ever did. It taught me that I had to find value in myself.
You see a script, and you say, 'Oh, I can play the heck out of that,' talk to your agent, and he says they don't want to see you. That's heartbreaking.
I - my experience was really no different from any other immigrant that came to this country. It was rough.
My first American experience was in the harbor of New York City when I saw that amazing big, tall lady. I remember thinking, 'Oh my goodness, a lady runs this country.'
There are some fabulous treasures of photos of me during the early days of my career; there are these pin-up photos that make me laugh: I look like the poor man's Maria Montez. But there are some I look at, and I didn't realize how sexy I looked back then.
I loved being in the film called 'Carnal Knowledge' - the one with Jack Nicholson, which was very dark but a really brilliant movie. I loved being in 'The Ritz.' 'The Ritz' I think is just hilarious. I just saw it again recently and by God, it's still funny!
I played a Siamese girl from Thailand. I played an Arabian girl. I did a lot of American Indians. I never, ever was able to do a part without assuming some kind of accent.
The thing I get the most that I really love is that people don't so much mention films I've been in or shows I've been in as they say, instead, 'I love you. I just love your perseverance.' That really pleases me.
I was determined that with perseverance and faith, at some point, someone would say, 'This girl has talent,' and would cast me in something meaningful.
Lupe Velez was way before me; Dolores Del Rio was way before me, so I had no one. So the only one I could think of that I identified with was this gorgeous creature named Elizabeth Taylor, so she became my role model.
Actors very often are people who think it's always about 'me,' and I can see why! No one else is going to support you or say, 'Gosh, I'm sorry about that,' or, 'Here, let me give you a job.' It doesn't happen that way.
I've always believed that I had talent, even when I felt like a very inferior sort of person, which I spent a lot of time living my life feeling that I wasn't worthy.
I should be a representative for AARP!
I'm not afraid of color. I like color.
Mellowing has never done much for me. You need to keep moving.
I don't want to miss out on my grandchildren and my daughter, and doing Broadway would do just that.
When I was a little girl, there was no Variety Latino. When I was a little girl, there was no nothing. There were very few roles for people like myself.
All my life, I faced sexism and racism and then, when I hit 40, ageism.
I was the artsy one, and my husband took care of all our finances. It was the Latino way - the man is in charge of the money.
Actually, my true name is Rosa Dolores Alverio. And then I became Rosita Moreno when a stepfather stepped in. And when I got to MGM studios, which was my first film contract, they just thought that Rosita wasn't a good name, and they changed it to Rita. And yes, it was their idea.
