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5 Even though she was getting public exposure, Rita was not
happy with the casting roles where she had to dance barefoot,
make pouty and sulky faces, and act sultry. Then the big break
came—a chance to audition for West Side Story. She tried out for

the role of Anita, the strong, willful older sister who is the head of
the family. There was not one but three auditions—in acting,
singing, and dancing. “The thing that scared me the most was

dancing, because I hadn’t danced at that time for at least ten
years!” Rita registered for dance classes before the audition.
Trying to get her groove back, she rehearsed jazz dance eight

hours a day until the audition. Rita won the role, and then she
won the Oscar. She had come a long way.

“

There were no role

models. I was my own

role model—myself.

”

6 “Once I had that little gold man [the Oscar] in my grasp, I
thought, okay, that’s it—no more of those stereotypical Conchita-
Lolitas.” But Rita was not offered a serious role and did not make

a major film for the next seven years. “I just couldn’t believe that I
wasn’t getting any offers,” she said.

exposure If someone gets a lot of exposure, he or she becomes well known
by performing in many places.
willful A person who is willful is very determined to get what he or she wants.
stereotypical A stereotypical idea is one that is false about a particular group,
even though many people believe it.

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