Of all the highlights of Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story, now in cinemas across the UAE, Ariana DeBose’s performance is the brightest, and now that that awards season is in full gear, her turn as Anita is getting the love it rightfully deserves.
With an Oscar nomination likely on the way, DeBose has already picked up a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination last night, and a host of others.
Esquire Middle East sat down with the star to discuss her role in the film, taking on the role that made Rita Moreno a star, and the lived experience she brought to the character that elevated it to heights heretofore unseen.
Read our full conversation below:
What are the qualities in this character that you really wanted to enhance? What were the things you most wanted to bring out that weren’t there before?
I was really interested in the exploration of her grief, and that her grief and the vulnerabilities, as a result of it, were actually her superpower. In the midst of intense grief, there is forgiveness, and it is a saving grace.
I think a boy like that I have a love that sequence in and of itself was probably what, what I was most interested in, of course, I love portraying big, beautiful dance numbers. But I was specifically interested in that scene, because I just thought there might have been something that was untapped.
Was that about bringing your lived experience to the role?
You know, I’m Afro Latina. And by virtue of that, I’m very different from Rita. And my lived experience really informs that character. In my version of the character, she has a lot of pain in a different way. Oh, gosh, it’s actually quite hard to talk about. But I do, too. I was very curious about ho her grief could actually be her superpower and be the thing that sets her free.
Absolutely, yeah. Because you never really feel like she’s disappearing into the background. You feel at all times that she does have agency through that grief, you know that she has strength through it.
Yeah, her strength grounds the character and quite frankly, I think it grounds the family unit of Anita, Bernando and Maria. The character has universally, always has agency and self respect. She’s always been someone who speaks her mind, but think there are different ways of doing that.
I love that my Anita both has no problem standing there in silence, and just letting her energy vibe in the space, and then she has no problem doing what she needs to do.
Having Rita Moreno there is so surreal, I’m sure, but what was your favorite moment with her, on a personal level?
You know, there was a day that we our chairs next to each other. And she was eating Cheetos, just having a snack, doing her. That’s what I like. She’s a human. You know? She can tell a beautiful story. She’s highly entertaining. She’s an incredible actress. I don’t know that she really has gotten the credit for being a skilled of an actress as she actually is. But she is stunning. And at the same time, just a normal human, eating a snack.
West Side Story is in cinemas now across the UAE