“I really was very often treated like a sex object.” Rita Moreno recalls the sexism and power abuse she suffered at the hands of big Hollywood moguls.
Written Features
Rita Moreno biography and timeline
The divided states of “America” – why Rita Moreno objected to West Side Story’s original lyrics
Rita Moreno won her EGOT status with these 4 roles
5 Rita Moreno roles you may have forgotten
3 life lessons from Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno Q&A: Her career from Puerto Rico to Hollywood
Mariem Pérez Riera’s Director’s Statement
Declaración de la Directora Mariem Pérez Riera
Our Rita: How Rita Moreno’s Puerto Rican roots changed American culture
Video Features
Clip | How Rita Moreno became a social activist
Clip | Rita Moreno gives one of the shortest Oscars speeches ever
Clip | Rita Moreno on facing sexism in the industry
Clip | Rita Moreno’s mother inspired her “One Day at a Time” role
Clip | Behind the Scenes | Rita Moreno
Clip | Lin-Manuel Miranda on his first viewing of “West Side Story”
TRANSCRIPT
- I really was very often treated like a sex object.
(sultry jazz music) One of the things the publicity department would do sometimes is fix you up on a date with somebody who actually wanted arm candy.
(sultry jazz music) - The studio would ask contract players to go out on pretend dates.
And every time your picture was in a magazine, they mentioned 20th Century Fox, your next picture.
When you're in a contract to a studio, they own you.
I think Rita and I, and most of the girls then expected it.
- I was in my early twenties.
They said, 'Go to this cocktail party 'cause there's gonna be a lot of important people there and this fellow that we're, we'd like to fix you up with is kind of well-known and it might do you some good.'
I thought, oh, okay, we'll go to the cocktail party.
The host, the man who ran a big whiskey distillery comes over to me, he says, 'Come on, I'll introduce you to people.'
And he introduced me to Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Studios.
A distinctly vulgar and crude man.
And before I knew it, he actually said to me, 'You know, I'd like to (beep) you.'
That may have been the third time in my life I heard that word used.
And what did I do?
I giggled like an idiot and just backed away.
The host of the evening, that Mr. Distillery, Mr. Whiskey comes over to me and he said, 'Why don't you dance with me?'
And I said, 'Sure.'
So we started to dance and he began to press against me very, very hard.
And before I knew it, he started to get a little bit of sweat beads on his upper lip.
And he started to breathe heavily.
And he was really, he wasn't pressing against me, he was grinding against me.
And he actually said, 'You're a sexy little bitch, aren't you?'
And I went out into the garden where I found the Mexican gardeners, 'cause this was an afternoon party, tears again, started to say, 'I need your help.
I have to go home.'
They didn't need an explanation.
They kinda knew.
And they put one of their jackets on me and took me home to my little cottage in Culver City.
And those were the first gentlemen I had seen that whole afternoon.
