LOS ANGELES -- Ariana DeBose lived up to Oscar predictions and followed the path of her âWest Side Storyâ predecessor Rita Moreno.
DeBose won the best supporting actress trophy Sunday for her breakout performance as the fierce Anita, 60 years after Moreno claimed the award in 1962 for the original film version of the Broadway musical.
âYikes, OK!â DeBose said, holding the statuette up in triumph. âNow you see why Anita says, âI want to be in America.â Because even in this weary world that we live in, dreams do come true. And thatâs really a heartening thing right now.â
DeBose gave a shoutout to Moreno, who attended the ceremony.
âI am so grateful your Anita paved the way for tons of Anitas like me," she said. Moreno was an Oscar pioneer, the first Latina to win an acting award.
DeBose is a groundbreaker in her own right, the first Afro-Latina and openly LGBTQ actor to win in the category. In her acceptance speech, DeBose said she found her âstrength in life through art.â
âTo anybody who has ever questioned your identity,â she said, âI promise you there is a place for us.â
Largely unknown in film circles before landing the coveted role, the 31-year-old North Carolina native became the clear Oscar favourite after an awards season full of victories. She was previously primarily known as a stage actress, with Broadway roles in âBring It On: The Musical,â âMotown: The Musicalâ and âHamilton.â
âThis is magic,â she said, waving her Oscar backstage, âbut itâs magic that did not come without effort.â
She offered more praise for Moreno, saying she "opened many doors, not just for me but for many Latinas. When youâre the first of anything, itâs lonely. Sheâs not alone anymore.â
DeBoseâs Oscar makes the third time that two actors have earned trophies for playing the same role, following Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, and Marlon Brando and Robert DeNiro as Vito Corleone.
Earlier this month, DeBose said she considered it important and âthrillingâ to see Latino screen achievement celebrated after it was largely snubbed in 2021.
Progress means âgetting people in front of the camera and behind the camera and into the writersâ rooms and in positions of power, so we can continue to tell our stories in an authenticâ and expansive way, she told The Associated Press.
Moreno gave her helpful and concise advice before the ceremony.
âShe just said, âEnjoy it, honey!ââ DeBose told AP.
Other nominees in the category were Jessie Buckley for âThe Lost Daughterâ; Judi Dench, âBelfastâ; Kirsten Dunst, âThe Power of the Dogâ and Aunjanue Ellis, âKing Richard.â
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AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.