And the Best Supporting Actress statuette at the 94thAcademy Awardsgoes to…Ariana DeBose!
In her acceptance speech, DeBose said “dreams come true.” The actress wins for playing Anita in the musical — the same role that won costarRita Morenoan Oscar exactly 60 years ago in the original film. She called Moreno her “divine inspiration” in her speech and said she’s “grateful” her Anita has “paved the way for tons of Anitas like me.”
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DeBose added in her speech, “Lastly, imagine this little girl in the backseat of a white Ford Focus. Look into her eyes, you see a queer — openly queer — woman of color, Afro-Latina who found her strength in life through art, and that’s what I believe we are here to celebrate.”
“So to anybody who has ever questioned their identity ever or find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us,” she said, referencing an iconicStephen Sondheimlyric fromWest Side Story. “Thank you to the Academy.”
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DeBose makes history as the first Afro-Latina actress and the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar in an acting category.
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In a recent interview forPEOPLE’s Oscars portfolio, DeBose reflected on playing Anita, saying her “entire family” is impressed with her work.
“Every time I book a bigger project or something that is shocking even to me, my family’s very much like, ‘Oh wow, you’re … yes, that’s — congratulations! You’re gonna do that!’ " she said. “Which makes me giggle, ‘cause I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess I am.’ "
RELATED VIDEO: Ariana DeBose Recalls When Her Mom Came toWest Side StorySet and Met ‘Señor Spielberg’
DeBose — whose Oscar comes after she also took home theBAFTA Award,Golden Globe Award,Screen Actors Guild AwardandCritics Choice Award— told PEOPLE she’s excited to be “at a moment in [her] career wherepeople listen when I have something to say.”
“And that doesn’t come for everyone, and I’m very aware of that,” she added. “So I’m focused on how I can be a conducive part of whatever conversation — there are many conversations that need to happen in our industry and in the world.”
source: people.com
