Catch a shooting star: Five minutes with 'West Side Story' heroine Ariana DeBose

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Steven Spielberg's adaptation of "West Side Story" is available on Disney+ starting Wednesday. That's fantastic news for both those who have seen the film and those who haven't (who really, really should). It also allowed me the opportunity to talk to Ariana DeBose. If I were to handpick someone to talk to from "West Side Story," it would be DeBose.

Why? Well, it's a little complicated. So, let's just dive in.

In the documentary "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It" and then again in my interview with Moreno herself, there was a clear sense of conflicted pride regarding her Oscar-winning performance as Anita in the 1961 film "West Side Story." Proud to be a trailblazer, Moreno was the first Puerto Rican to win an Oscar, and conflicted because the character wasn't authentic and didn't represent what it was like to be an immigrant living in the United States. She looked to the new adaptation from director Steven Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner as a chance to really tell the real story of Puerto Rican immigrants.

Whenever you change or add to something that is already beloved, you open yourself up to criticism. So, I, and I would imagine many others, went into 2021's "West Side Story" focused on how the film would deal with the false stereotypes that exist in the original text. This, even before the film began, put a spotlight on newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria and even more so on DeBose's performances as Anita. It's not fair — it's just the truth.

I knew DeBose from Netflix's "The Prom," and as an ensemble member of "Hamilton" but was unaware of her appearances on the Apple TV+ series "Schmigadoon!" She was mostly an unknown to me.

From the moment she appears on screen, I was aware that I was watching something special. You just can't take your eyes off of DeBose. She's simply fantastic. I'm not the only one who thinks so. She has nearly 50 Best Supporting Actress nominations from critic groups big and small. She won the SAG and is up for the Oscar.

So, when the opportunity to speak with her came up, I wasn't about to pass up the chance. The day of the interview did everything it could to keep me from being able to do the interview. It happens. My behind-the-scenes role at the KUTV are vast and frequently demanding.

But I really wanted to talk to DeBose and with a little bit of luck, it came together.