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ARIANA DEBOSE

2022 Critics’ Choice & 
Golden Globe Award Nominee 
in

WEST SIDE STORY

Interview by Tessa Swantek

Photography Angelo D’Agostino
Fashion Editor Deborah Ferguson

Ariana DeBose made her television debut on So You Think You Can Dance, and since then her trajectory from “dancer” to “performer” has been visible for all to see from the shining lights of Broadway to the glow of the big screen. Since 2011, she has occupied a prominent presence on Broadway with her roles in Bring It On: The Musical, Motown: The Musical, Hamilton, A Bronx Tale, and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical as Disco Donna which earned her a Tony Award nomination. In the past few years, she has explored television and film more with her roles in Netflix’s The Prom and Apple TV’s Schmigadoon! DeBose’s most recent role as Anita in Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner’s West Side Story, is arguably her most career defining role yet, as Debose seems to almost define time as everything before West Side Story and everything to look forward to after it. 

Most are familiar with the highly revered West Side Story- a 1950s era Romeo and Juliet set in New York City depicting forbidden love amongst rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks. Spielberg cast Ariana DeBose as the beloved Anita, a role that earned legendary Rita Moreno an Oscar following the 1961 film. While some could note that DeBose has big lavender heels and a bouncing dress to fill, she instead felt empowered by Moreno herself to step into her own Anita in sunny yellow heels and dress. DeBose retains who Anita is – hopeful, determined, fiery, maternal, vivid, and charismatic – while now exploring what it means for her to be a Black woman in her community. It is certainly not lost on DeBose how important this role is, for her and viewers, as she tells us of her immense gratitude and pride to represent an Afro-Latina Anita, reflects on how Rita Moreno became a hero for her, recalls Steven Spielberg’s “fangirl” approach to his West Side Story, and recounts the beautiful experience of filming and viewing the final product! 

Pants, sweater: Kenzo Paris, Sneakers: Fila, Earrings: Eriness 

In the past few years or so, you’ve done a lot more film and TV projects. When you transition from the stage to Hollywood, what is the biggest difference that you notice? 

It feels like learning a new language. Working on a production as large-scale as West Side Story definitely pushed me beyond my comfort zone in the beginning. It was a privilege to get a front row seat to filmmaking and learn from the best in the business. And still, there was a lot that was similar – from the incredibly collaborative creative process that Steven [Spielberg] spearheaded to the way you build and define your character. It was a joy from start to finish, and it helped that there were so many brilliant people involved from the worlds of Broadway and dance. People like Tony Kushner, Jeanine Tesori, Justin Peck – so many members of the creative team and cast came from live arts that it really felt like an ensemble in a way that I’ve learned was unique. 

You’ve been involved in so many major projects like Broadway’s Hamilton, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and now West Side Story. I would imagine that you would experience many moments that feel surreal. If you could pick any moment to go back to and fully ground yourself in, what would it be? 

Picking up the phone to hear Steven Spielberg ask if I would be his Anita is a moment I’ll never forget. It was both the product of more than a decade of hard work and the prologue to an exciting new chapter. I’ll hold onto that feeling of gratitude and excitement and pride forever.

I assume that your first love is dancing rather than acting. Did your relationship with dance change in any way as you started to work on jobs that may have been more physically taxing, like working on Broadway? 

I’ve been dancing since age 3, so I think it’s fair to say it was my first love! My dream was to be a backup dancer for Madonna. But it’s true that it is incredibly demanding and can take a toll over time. That was an important realization for me, and it pushed me to explore singing and acting, both of which, it turns out, I also love. So, while I used to be a dancer first, I see it as just one of several skills that contribute to who I am as a performer today.

Dress, jacket: Red Valentino, Sneakers: Fila, Ring: 51 E Joan, Earrings: Eriness

You are well-loved for portraying The Bullet in Hamilton through choreography. For you, how would you explain the difference between expressing yourself through movement in dance versus through dialogue in acting? Which do you feel comes more naturally to you? 

Dancing is my first language. It comes so naturally, but it has also provided a blueprint for how to approach learning a new skill, like singing or onscreen work. As I’ve expanded beyond Broadway, I made the conscious choice to put ensemble work aside and seek out roles that would also allow me to sing and act in addition to dance – I strive to bring the same level of preparedness and love of learning to all three.

In all aspects of performing, fashion and costume often plays a really important role. You’ve been involved in the fashion sphere a lot recently- I thought you were amazing in Bibhu Mohapatra’s Spring/Summer 2021 NYFW video! For West Side Story, Rita Moreno’s lavender dress as Anita when performing “America” is so iconic. What costume made you feel most like the Anita you wanted to portray? 

Thank you! That purple dress really is iconic. In fact, it’s one of the first things I remember loving about the 1961 West Side Story (that and the dancing, of course). I just wanted to be like the woman wearing it – she was pretty, she sort of looked like me, and she could dance. Since then, Rita has been one of my heroes.

Our incredible costume designer, Paul Tazewell (who also did the costumes for Hamilton and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), has such a gift for telling a character’s story through their wardrobe. He created some breathtaking looks for Anita, including the black dress she wears in “Dance at the Gym.” But I think the real showstopper is the yellow dress Anita wears during “America.” Paul designed this with so much attention to the silhouette, the way it would move as I danced in it – it perfectly complements Anita’s optimism, her boldness, and the fire within her.

Speaking of Rita Moreno, you’ve detailed in other interviews the moment you met her and how she made you feel empowered to make your own choices for Anita. When thinking about your own version of Anita, did you feel like changes came intuitively to you or did you really feel like you had to analyze this new version of Anita within a new context? 

Meeting her was wonderful – I was so awestruck! She was so gracious with me. We had an open dialogue, and I’m so grateful for her support and her encouragement to truly make Anita my own. She’s incredible. Ultimately, the Anitas we play are inherently different women, not because we tried to modernize her, but because of what being Black would have meant for this woman’s relationship with the world in this place and time. All of what makes Anita who she is – her unshakeable belief in the elusive American Dream, the joys and challenges of her relationship with Bernardo, her maternal instinct to protect María, the ways she works tirelessly to uplift her community – take on an even greater weight when you consider how difficult it would have been for her to just exist in the world as a Black woman. Her determination to make a better life for herself and her loved ones despite the boxes the world tried to put her into really resonated with me.

Dress, jacket: Red Valentino, Sneakers: Fila, Ring: 51 E Joan, Earrings: Eriness

Steven Spielberg has expressed his love and admiration from a very young age for the original film and soundtrack. When filming, did you feel that this admiration for the original was present in his directing? 

It is amazing to watch Steven work – he brings everything he has to it. He’s actually kind of a West Side Story fangirl, and he is incredibly musically inclined. He really is a man of many talents, but he loves musicals and he loves physicality.

And on our set, he had an infectious excitement for the material and the process. He was just like a kid. It’s a dream to work with a director who is so enchanted by the work – and who is so beautifully collaborative as Steven is – because it pushes everyone around them to give their best, too. It’s a thrilling environment to be in. We all, Steven included, have so much reverence for the original stage play and the 1961 film, and I think that was present on set. None of us would ever try to remake something so beloved – we saw it more as honoring the legacy of this story and reintroducing it to a new generation.

Was there a moment on set when you felt really entrenched in the atmosphere of the film, almost like you could visualize the beauty of the scene when it is translated to the screen? 

For me, the only thing that could top the experience of performing the iconic “America” was finally seeing what it looks like on screen. Our choreographer Justin Peck and assistant choreographers Patricia Delgado and Craig Salstein did a beautiful job of reimagining the number to realize Tony and Steven’s vision, moving it from the rooftops to the streets of New York, which gives it a feeling of being very grounded in the community, while being a nod to some classic musical films. To be out there on the pavement, at the height of summer, with our whole Sharks ensemble and Steven right there in the thick of it with us – it was unforgettable.

Jacket: Romeo Hunte, Tights: Emilio Pucci, Heels: Tamara Mellon, Rings: Eriness, Earrings: 51 E John 

Pants, sweater: Kenzo Paris, Sneakers: Fila, Earrings: Eriness 

When you portray Anita, what do you love most about her? When you watch your portrayal of Anita, do you love something different about her? 

One of the most beautiful things about Tony Kushner’s screenplay is that it delves so much more deeply into some of the issues that were just hinted at in the original stage play. It makes room for these characters to be their own people, with their own individualities and contradictions distinct from their communities. The other exciting thing about this version of West Side Story is that you do have a main character in the forefront speaking her truth as an Afro-Latina. It was amazing to have the support of people like Steven and Rita and Tony, who empowered me to make this vision of Anita my own. As a Black, Afro-Latina, queer woman who never saw very many onscreen examples of herself growing up, the necessity of advocating for more of those stories in mainstream art is not lost on me.

You attended the film screening very recently- how did you feel seeing the final product? 

There are few words to describe what it felt like seeing this film for the first time. First and foremost, it is a truly stunning piece of art, but it also represents the end product of a journey that began more than three years ago. I’m so proud of this film and everyone who brought their best work to it. I think it’s a beautiful tribute to the original Broadway musical and the 1961 film, while making this age-old story feel fresh and modern. West Side Story has always taken on so many major issues head on – it’s courageous in many ways, and to me, it’s more important than ever that we hear its messages of love and tolerance.

What can we look forward to next from you? 

Where does one go from here? Working on West Side Story has opened my eyes to so many new aspects of performing and filmmaking. I’m excited about the prospect of doing more film and television work, but for now I’m just grateful to have been a part of this. I’ll savor the experience, always.

Jacket: Romeo Hunte, Tights: Emilio Pucci, Heels: Tamara Mellon, Rings: Eriness, Earrings: 51 E John 

Jewelry: Eriness, Dress, tights: Emilio Pucci, Sunglasses: Vogue x MBB, Heels: Tamara Mellon