Rita Moreno Reminisces About Her Role In West Side Story, Greets Fans At Redford Shows [AUDIO]

SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) -- Arthur Laurents' Oscar-winning musical classic "West Side Story" is making its debut at the Redford Theatre on Friday evening. Rita Moreno -- who won an Oscar for her role as Anita -- is scheduled to greet fans before the performance to sign autographs.

The 82-year-old Moreno stopped by the studio and spoke with WWJ's Chrystal Knight before the event and talked about how difficult it was being a young Hispanic actress in Hollywood.

"It was very tough, there were no role models then -- none -- for someone like myself," Moreno said. "So, we just had to make do, so my role model became Elizabeth Taylor, but that kind of was jarring -- it didn't quite make sense. Nevertheless, that's the kind of Hollywood it was for me, it was very difficult."

Moreno landed the role of Anita in her mid-20s and talked about the challenges that she, as a Puerto Rican, had faced in Hollywood with no role models to look up to.

"She [Anita] became a role model because Anita has dignity, she has self-respect and she's very strong," Moreno said. "I had never, until then, played a young Hispanic woman with any of those qualities."

Throughout the challenges of 1960s Hollywood, Moreno's greatest challenge wasn't the role's image.

"It was the dancing actually and the reason for that is that I had never done that kind of dancing before," Moreno said. "I was a Spanish dancer -- there's a big difference. What we are doing in West Wide Story is called Jazz."

The performance plays at the Redford Theatre from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28 with showtimes and tickets available at the Theatre's website.