Ariana DeBosecelebrated being a queer woman of colorduring her Oscars speech earlier this year, but when it all comes down to it, there’s one description that matters to her most: human.In the latest episode ofthePEOPLE Every Daypodcast, the actress, 31, explains that rather than particular labels, “I prefer the term human because your humanity can be described in a myriad of ways, but it does not change the fact that you are human.“DeBosemade history as the first Afro-Latina actress and the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar in an acting categorywhen she clinched the Best Supporting Actress statuette at the 94th Academy Awards for her work inWest Side Story.P. Lehman/Future Publishing via Getty"The fullness of who you are, what it’s like to be queer, out, Latina, Afro-Latina, biracial, or multiracial, however you want to identify… we are moving towards a space where I think it is now more widely accepted to hear all of those labels wrapped up into one person,” she adds.During her Oscars speech, DeBose spoke to her identity and how her art helped her come into her own. “Imagine this little girl in the backseat of a white Ford Focus,” she said during the March 28 ceremony. “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.“The former Broadway star also thanked costar Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar exactly 60 years ago for the same role in the original film, and said she’s “grateful” Moreno’s Anita has “paved the way for tons of Anitas like me.“Now DeBose acknowledges the importance of seeing aspects of herself throughout Hollywood when she was young. “When I was growing up in those formative years, I saw versions of myself… or parts of my identity reflected back to me,” she says, citing women including Vanessa Williams and Zoe Saldana.Jamie McCarthy/GettyAnd while she feels it’s “narcissistic” to say that she herself is now the representation she needed, she is happy that the industry is “taking strides” to increase representation across the board.DeBose will serve as emcee of the 75th annual Tony Awards on June 12and she commends Broadway’s biggest night for the diversity of honorees this year.“I think this Tony season is actually a really good reflection of how we’re moving forward,” she notes. “The nominees are reflective of a delegation that really listened and heard the call, in my opinion.“She points out that “there’s much more opportunity for records to be broken” with nominees like L Morgan Lee, the first openly trans woman to be nominated, and the two productions with the most nominations,A Strange LoopandMJ, coming from Black playwrights.“It is a much more diverse group of nominees… there’s much to be celebrated,” DeBose says. “I think it’s a sign of forward motion, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not more work to do.“Check out more episodes ofPEOPLE Every Day, airing onApple podcasts,iHeartMedia,Spotify,Stitcher,Amazon Musicor wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Ariana DeBosecelebrated being a queer woman of colorduring her Oscars speech earlier this year, but when it all comes down to it, there’s one description that matters to her most: human.
In the latest episode ofthePEOPLE Every Daypodcast, the actress, 31, explains that rather than particular labels, “I prefer the term human because your humanity can be described in a myriad of ways, but it does not change the fact that you are human.”
DeBosemade history as the first Afro-Latina actress and the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar in an acting categorywhen she clinched the Best Supporting Actress statuette at the 94th Academy Awards for her work inWest Side Story.
P. Lehman/Future Publishing via Getty
“The fullness of who you are, what it’s like to be queer, out, Latina, Afro-Latina, biracial, or multiracial, however you want to identify… we are moving towards a space where I think it is now more widely accepted to hear all of those labels wrapped up into one person,” she adds.
During her Oscars speech, DeBose spoke to her identity and how her art helped her come into her own. “Imagine this little girl in the backseat of a white Ford Focus,” she said during the March 28 ceremony. “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.”
The former Broadway star also thanked costar Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar exactly 60 years ago for the same role in the original film, and said she’s “grateful” Moreno’s Anita has “paved the way for tons of Anitas like me.”
Now DeBose acknowledges the importance of seeing aspects of herself throughout Hollywood when she was young. “When I was growing up in those formative years, I saw versions of myself… or parts of my identity reflected back to me,” she says, citing women including Vanessa Williams and Zoe Saldana.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
And while she feels it’s “narcissistic” to say that she herself is now the representation she needed, she is happy that the industry is “taking strides” to increase representation across the board.DeBose will serve as emcee of the 75th annual Tony Awards on June 12and she commends Broadway’s biggest night for the diversity of honorees this year.
“I think this Tony season is actually a really good reflection of how we’re moving forward,” she notes. “The nominees are reflective of a delegation that really listened and heard the call, in my opinion.”
She points out that “there’s much more opportunity for records to be broken” with nominees like L Morgan Lee, the first openly trans woman to be nominated, and the two productions with the most nominations,A Strange LoopandMJ, coming from Black playwrights.
“It is a much more diverse group of nominees… there’s much to be celebrated,” DeBose says. “I think it’s a sign of forward motion, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not more work to do.”
Check out more episodes ofPEOPLE Every Day, airing onApple podcasts,iHeartMedia,Spotify,Stitcher,Amazon Musicor wherever you listen to your podcasts.
source: people.com
