Rita Moreno wants her friends to make fun of her at her 95th birthday dinner. The actress is planning a roast, with the people closest to her supplying the jokes and the guest of honor giving them permission to let loose.
“I’m sure people will be insulting me all night,” Moreno told E! News while discussing her birthday plans. The Oscar-winning actress laughed at the prospect and said she was looking forward to the gathering.
She shared the plans with interviewer Erin Lim Rhodes at the Día de Muertos Gala on October 27. Wearing a red outfit and a burgundy jacket, Moreno attended the celebration on the Universal Studios backlot in Universal City, California, where she received the Vida y Legado, or Life & Legacy, Award.
Her birthday falls on December 11, and the number still surprises her. In a separate conversation with PEOPLE at the gala, she said, “Geez, I can’t believe this,” before joking about being an old lady. She also spoke about how few performers from her generation remain and her gratitude at still being here.
Moreno Gives Her Birthday Guests Permission to Say What They Want
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When Rhodes asked whether the dinner would be a roast, Moreno confirmed that was the plan. She expects some traditional toasts as well, but her instructions leave plenty of room for friends to get their jokes in. “They can do whatever they damn want,” she told E! News.
Meals with people she loves have featured in her previous birthday plans, too. Ahead of turning 94 last year, she described several intimate gatherings, including time with her daughter, Fernanda.
Space was the problem when she was approaching 92. In a November 2023 interview, Moreno explained that her condominium couldn’t accommodate everyone she wanted to invite. She recalled an earlier party with 80 guests in a much larger house and said she had asked Fernanda how they would manage the next one. Her proposed solution was to divide the celebrations between two parties, possibly three, in the apartment.
She Learned to Seek Out New Friends After Feeling Lonely
Moreno has also spoken candidly about the effort involved in finding company outside work. In another 2023 interview, she described loneliness after moving into her condominium. Her appetite suffered, and Fernanda noticed something was wrong. Although she loved her home, friends and relatives weren’t close enough to drop by casually. She realized that she had little practice initiating friendships because people had usually approached her.
She invited a woman she kept seeing at the supermarket to lunch, despite not yet knowing her name. The woman accepted, and they became friends. Moreno also got to know neighbors in her building.
Revisiting that experience with Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Wiser Than Me, in a conversation recorded on her 93rd birthday, Moreno described another adjustment: she had stopped driving because she no longer trusted her reflexes. She missed being able to head out in the car whenever she wanted and disliked having to ask Fernanda whether she had time to help her get around.
Moreno recalled that, once they sat down for lunch, her new acquaintance asked whether she regularly picked up women while shopping. By the time of the podcast conversation, the two were still friends.
The Gala Honor Prompted a Blunt Answer About Her Hollywood Career
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Receiving recognition at a celebration of Hispanic achievement made Moreno particularly proud, she told E! News. But when Rhodes asked who had helped her along the way, she didn’t offer a list of mentors. Moreno said she hadn’t received the guidance she needed and believed that more support might have allowed her to go further.
“I owe nobody anything,” she said, explaining that she wasn’t speaking out of bitterness. She described her attitude as confidence in what she had accomplished and the recognition she had earned through her work.
At the gala, she remained critical of opportunities for Latino performers. Asked by HOLA! whether Hollywood had changed enough, Moreno replied, “Not good enough. Nowhere near good enough.”
Her Oscar Win Didn’t End the Typecasting
Moreno’s early films included Singin’ in the Rain and The King and I before she played Anita in the original West Side Story. The 1961 musical brought her the supporting-actress Oscar at the 1962 ceremony, making her the first Latina to win an acting Academy Award.
The win didn’t immediately bring the range of parts she wanted. According to the American Masters timeline of her career, she continued receiving offers for stereotyped characters and declined them. She worked largely in theater, including the London production of She Loves Me and Broadway’s The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.
Her later Grammy, Tony and Emmy wins made her an EGOT winner. The Emmy that completed the collection came in 1977 for The Muppet Show. Six decades after playing Anita, she returned to West Side Story as Valentina in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation.
Moreno Used Her Acceptance Speech to Encourage Young Latino Leaders
Inside the event, Moreno addressed younger members of the community directly. According to HOLA!’s account of her acceptance speech, she urged young Latino leaders to pursue their ambitions without allowing other people to decide what they could accomplish. She also encouraged them to remember where they came from.
Speaking about the award’s emphasis on legacy, she discussed the relationships people build and the opportunities they create for those who follow them. She wanted the evening to include hopes for the next generation alongside recognition of earlier achievements.
Moreno finished by assuring the audience that she would be available after the speech. “If anybody needs me, I’ll be around for a while, standing up in person. Alive.”