Actress Rita Moreno took it to social media and shared she’s “disappointed with herself” after defending Lin-Manuel Miranda for the colorism criticism in his new movie In The Heights.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new movie, the adaptation of musical In the Heights, received a lot of good reviews. However, fans called Miranda out for colorism and claimed he didn’t use enough people of color.
After the criticism, Lin-Manuel took it to social media to apologize for it and “promise to do better.”
He said: “I started writing In The Heights because I didn’t feel seen. And over the past 20 years all I wanted was for us-ALL of us-to feel seen. I’m seeing the discussion around Afro-Latino representation in our film this weekend and it is clear that many in our dark-skinned Afro-Latino community don’t feel sufficiently represented within it, particularly among the leading roles.”
In a new interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Rita Moreno defended Lin-Manuel Miranda over the colorism claims.
The EGOT awarded actress told Stephen Colbert: “You can never do right, it seems. This is the man who literally has brought Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness to America. I couldn’t do it. I would love to say I did, but I couldn’t. Lin-Manuel has done that really singlehandedly and I’m thrilled to pieces, and I’m proud that he produced my documentary (Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It).”
Rita added: “I’m simply saying, ‘Can’t you just wait a while and leave it alone?’ “
“There’s a lot of people who are Puertorriqueño, who are also from Guatemala, who are dark and who are also fair. We are all colors in Puerto Rico. This is how it is, and it would be so nice if they hadn’t come up with that and left it alone, just for now. I mean, they’re really attacking the wrong person.”
But her interview didn’t come off the way she intended, and she received quite some backlash for it.
Then, Rita took it to social media and shared she’s “disappointed with herself.”
I’m incredibly disappointed with myself. While making a statement in defense of Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Colbert Show last night, I was clearly dismissive of black lives that matter in our Latin community. It is so easy to forget how celebration for some is lament for others.
— Rita Moreno (@TheRitaMoreno) June 17, 2021
After her apology, many fans claimed she wasn’t as truthful in her apology. They also added that she seemed very clear during the interview, and she doesn’t sound sincere when she apologized.
