Rita Moreno retracts her defence against In the Heights colourism debate: 'Incredibly disappointed with myself'

Actor Rita Moreno took to social media and shared a statement saying that she is ‘incredibly disappointed’ in herself after her comments over the lack of Afro-Latino representation in the musical drama In the Heights. The 89-year-old actress admitted that she was “clearly dismissive” of dark-skinned Afro-Latinos. She also opened up on the importance of the community’s representation. “I’m incredibly disappointed with myself. While making a statement in defence of Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Colbert Show last night, I was clearly dismissive of black lives that matter in our Latin community,” Moreno tweeted. She further explained that it is very easy to forget how celebration for some people is a lament for others.

I’m incredibly disappointed with myself. While making a statement in defense of Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Colbert Show last night, I was clearly dismissive of black lives that matter in our Latin community. It is so easy to forget how celebration for some is lament for others.

— Rita Moreno (@TheRitaMoreno) June 17, 2021

Moreno continued her statement with a second tweet, where she praised In the Heights creator Miranda’s response to the criticism. She also asserted that her appreciation for his sensitivity and resolve will be more inclusive of the Afro-Latino community hence going forward. Moreno’s statement comes hours after her appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night. On the show, Moreno defended Miranda against the criticism that the film did not cast any dark-skinned Afro-Latinos in its leading roles. “There’s a lot of people who are Puertorriqueños and also from Guatemala, who are dark and fair,” Moreno said on the show as per Variety. Further, she explained that critics are attacking the wrong person and said that it would have been nice if they hadn’t come up with that. The issue and controversy became big after director Jon Chu defended the movie by noting how many of the backup dancers were Afro-Latino. During her recent  interview with The Root, Chu said it was a topic he needed to be “educated about". In her  interaction, Chu claimed that when they were looking for the cast, they wanted to get people perfect for the role. “I think that’s a really good conversation to have and something we should be talking about,” Chu added. Meanwhile, critics  accused the film of centring the story around light-skinned cast members. As per the movie, the sole Black lead is portrayed by Corey Hawkins, however, his character Benny is not identified as having Caribbean roots.