Rita Moreno teases surprises in 'West Side Story' remake

Nobody has perspective on Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake quite like Rita Moreno.

"You're in for some surprises, because there are things that are done in this movie that weren't in the original, that should have," Moreno told Entertainment Tonight, then later added her reaction when she saw the differences between the original and remake: "Oh my god, they're doing that, huh?"

The EGOT winner played Anita in the original 1961 film—which won a staggering 10 Oscars, including a best supporting actress for Moreno—and she will portray Valentina, the widow of elderly drugstore owner Doc (Ned Glass) from 1961.

Spielberg's take, arriving Dec. 10, brings a new generation of performers into the Jets and Sharks gang rivalry. Ansel Elgort stepped into the role of Tony with Rachel Zegler as Maria Vasquez—the story's forbidden lovers—and Anita will be played by Ariana DeBose.  


West Side Story is based upon Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and originally debuted as a musical written by Arthur Laurents in 1957. The first trailer for West Side Story dropped during the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25. Watch below.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
The most influential movies ever made
20 period pieces you should watch
Longtime ‘SportsCenter’ anchor announces he is leaving ESPN
Second chances: Notable bands and musicians who experienced a career resurgence
The 25 most entertaining horror movies
The 20 concert tours you can't miss in 2024
20 albums turning 50 in 2024
The 20 greatest heist movies
20 movies that should be adapted into musicals
Super Bowl LVIII halftime show takeaways
Brad Pitt shades Eagles while praising Philly superfan Bradley Cooper
The 20 best modern rom-coms
20 performances that thwarted audience expectations
Comedy gold: 20 funny films that won an Oscar
23 actors that need to have a renaissance
The best karaoke songs from the 2020s
20 great movies that didn’t get nominated at the 2024 Oscars
The 25 best movies about high-school sports
The 23 best films of 2023
The 50 best albums of 2023