USA TODAY
Rita Moreno delivered a legendary performance as Anita in the 1961 film West Side Story, earning the Oscar for best supporting actress.
But the actress, now 89, had the opportunity to be part of West Side Story history years before the classic film came to be.
In a virtual reunion with former co-stars George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn, shared on HBO Max Thursday, Moreno revealed she was invited to audition for Maria in the original Broadway production, but turned it down due to nerves. I got cold feet, she said. I got scared.
The source of her fear, Moreno said, was the prospect of working for legendary choreographer Jerome Robbins, who offered her the audition. Robbins conceived, choreographed and directed the stage musical and met Moreno while working on the 1956 film The King and I.