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What was left to say?
But I wanted to reveal something very different in terms of my success and the struggles.
(She was only the third person to have done it at the time.)
You talk a lot about the importance of therapy in the documentary.
How did you start?Well, heres the amusing part of it.
Marlon [Brando] had been in therapy.
We had this almost eight-year relationship.
It turned out he was absolutely right.
Its probably the greatest favor I ever did for myself.
It breaks my heart, actually.
And I feel so sorry for that girl on the screen.
I really, really do.
We had a telephone friendship after that.
Marlon was famous, as you may know, for long conversations.
Toni Morrison could tell you that because they were very good friends same thing.
Lets talk aboutWest Side Story.Which one?
I love saying that!
Youre credited as an executive producer on the new one.
They wanted an audience for it, too.
There are people there who didnt like the first movie.
You have to admire the respect that was shown this project by these two amazing gentlemen.
It sounds like it took a while for you to get the part in the original film.It did.
I worked so hard to get that movie.
He said, How longs it been?
I said, I dont want to say.
I think the last time was when I was 16, and I was in my middle-20s.
And they were auditioning anybody with brown hair and brown eyes.
So I did something very clever and desperate.
I said, Im going to have an audition in a couple of weeks, and I am terrified.
(Some people call it modern dance, but its really not.
I was a Spanish dancer.
Theres a big chasm between those things.
I said to Debra, So can you help me out?
She was very kind.
She said, Absolutely.
But Im warning you, I cant teach you the entire dance, theres just no time.
Ill teach you certain sections of the dance that I think they might teach you.
And he said, Now Ill teach you a piece.
I was just scared to death.
Anyway, I did it.
What I found out years later is that Jerry called him and asked, How did it go?
And he said, Well, Ill tell you something.
I think she hasnt danced in a while, frankly.
But she is so vivacious.
Shes lots of fun.
She has a great sense of humor.
She told me she was a Spanish dancer, which means not a whole lot.
But what is really impressive about her isshe learns so fast.
Well, I knew the steps in advance!
There would be a big bell that would ring, which meant they had to board the ships.
I would sit and wait until the next little gang of people showed up.
I thought,Well, this is it.
Im going to get work.
That broke my heart.
It really broke my heart.
I couldnt understand it.
I was always kind of a naive person, but that just stunned me.
It still stuns me.
Its also fascinating, because when you do start doing movies again, the parts are relatively small.
Even in a film likeCarnal Knowledge, you just have one scene.
Even though youd accomplished more than probably anyone in that cast.You know what?
Show business is my life!
She said with a chortle.
[Laughs] Its terribly sad.
And when I read that, oh man, I got so sad because its true.
Ive always felt that.
Thats when you really have to fight bitterness and anger.
Is it because you like the people that youre working with?
It was just a fun part.
I loved playing her.
She had a great name [Rita Capkovic].
And I got a TV award for that, which was marvelous.
Jimmy was beside himself.
He was so happy.
Ill tell you something delicious that youll enjoy.
They did this then; everybody did a screen test.
I was assigned to his scene.
And this was on-camera, the whole works, in color.
I was doing Grace Kellys.
I thought,Oh man!
Im playing a white woman!
Im in the right studio!And Jimmy was awful in the test!
He was just a country boy.
I thought,Oh my gosh!
Are they going to sign him?He was handsome as the devil and sweet as could be.
They did not sign him.
He went on to become Maverick later.
There I was criticizing this kid and thinking,Oh my God.
Yes, hes handsome, but give me a break!
Your character, Googie Gomez, a brash, ambitious, not-very-good-singer with big dreams, is incredible.
And the kids laughed and it was fun.
Terrence was a very good friend of his.
During the party, Jimmy said to me, Rita, do that crazy Puerto Rican girl for Terrence.
I think hell love it.
So I did a bunch of things.
He just literally fell off his chair.
And then I sang Everythings Coming Up Roses.
I didnt believe it.
And I said, Terrence who?
About a week later, I did get the script.
He got very annoyed, and he sent me out of the room.
Never, never, never.
It was frustrating watching all the struggles that show had staying on air.
It seemed like everyone I knew really loved it.Oh, its just so sad.
We know that life is not fair, but I just cant believe that we couldnt find the audience.
I dont know if youve noticed, but thats not what they do.
I think we suffered terribly from the lack of enough exposure.
We needed way more than they provided.
People loved the show!
Every Hispanic Ive ever met in my life was watching that show.
He didnt even hear that.
Youre supposed to be dead!
