In the rarefied air of Hollywood royalty, there are icons, and then there is Rita Moreno. With a career spanning eight decades, Moreno isn’t just a performer; she is a living bridge between the Golden Age of cinema and the modern streaming era. Throughout her storied tenure in the spotlight, the EGOT winner has crossed paths with the most luminous names in music and film. Yet, even for a woman who has rubbed shoulders with presidents and legends, one particular memory stands out in her vault of experiences: the moment she learned the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, was a devotee of her work.
At the recent Día de Muertos Gala on October 27, the One Day at a Time actress offered a candid glimpse into a long-held secret of her fandom. While she maintained a humble demeanor—joking that she doesn’t like to “brag”—she couldn’t help but acknowledge that her list of admirers includes some of the most “braggable people” on the planet. Chief among them was Michael Jackson, a revelation that still seems to catch the 92-year-old legend by surprise.
A Secret Connection: The King of Pop and the Anita Influence
The story, recounted with a touch of nostalgia, sheds light on a mutual admiration between two of the greatest dancers to ever grace the screen. Moreno recalled a personal encounter with Jackson, where the Thriller superstar approached her with his signature soft-spoken demeanor.
“He was a huge fan,” Moreno told PEOPLE magazine. “He told me that once when I met him… [in] that little tiny voice of his, and he said, ‘You know, we’—we, meaning his dancers—’we loved all your steps, and we used some of them in some of the numbers that I do because I admire you so much.’”
For Moreno, the compliment wasn’t just a polite celebrity pleasantry; it was a professional validation of the highest order. Jackson went on to cite his admiration for Jerome Robbins, the legendary choreographer behind the 1961 masterpiece West Side Story. Moreno, who famously inhabited the role of Anita in that film, was left “flattered to pieces.” It is a testament to the enduring power of her performance that decades later, the man who would revolutionize the music video format as a narrative art form was still looking back at her movements for inspiration.
From Humacao to Hollywood Royalty
To understand why a powerhouse like Michael Jackson would look to Rita Moreno for inspiration, one has to look at her trajectory. Born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano in Humacao, Puerto Rico, in 1931, Moreno’s journey to stardom was anything but conventional. She entered the industry at the tender age of nine, a child prodigy stepping into a world that was, at the time, notoriously difficult for Puerto Rican performers to navigate.
Her resilience paid off in a way that remains rare in the annals of entertainment. Moreno is one of the few individuals in history to achieve the coveted EGOT status, having collected an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Her career is a masterclass in longevity; she moved seamlessly from the sweltering intensity of West Side Story to the groundbreaking television of the 21st century. She hasn’t slowed down, either—her recent appearances and her continued relevance in the cultural conversation prove that she isn’t just a relic of the past, but a vital participant in the present.
The Choreographic Legacy
While the specific “steps” that Michael Jackson borrowed from Moreno remain a subject of intrigue, the fingerprints of West Side Story are evident across Jackson’s most iconic visual works. The narrative intensity, the aggressive, rhythmic athleticism, and the use of the ensemble as a living, breathing character in his short films for Bad and Beat It echo the street-fighting choreography Robbins brought to the screen in 1961.
Jackson was known for being a voracious student of cinema, often pulling inspiration from old Hollywood musicals and the masters of the dance world. Knowing that the West Side Story ensemble choreography—specifically the fiery, defiant energy Moreno brought to the role of Anita—served as a blueprint for the man who would define the dance-pop era adds a new layer of depth to both their legacies. It highlights a lineage of excellence that stretches from the soundstages of mid-century Hollywood to the high-concept music video sets of the 1980s.
The “Braggable” Circle of Fans
During the gala, Moreno’s reflection on Jackson served as a reminder that icons are often the biggest fans of other icons. She has navigated a world where she was once the “only” person of her background in the room, only to eventually become a pillar of the industry that others now look toward for guidance.
When she speaks about “braggable people,” she is referring to an ecosystem of mutual respect. In her late 80s and now into her 90s, Moreno continues to receive the flowers she has earned. Whether it’s her recent public appearances where she was honored with a revival of her famous white dress, or the simple act of recounting a long-ago conversation with a pop music titan, she remains firmly at the center of the cultural zeitgeist.
As she continues to make appearances and reflect on a career that has spanned the better part of a century, the story of Michael Jackson admiring her steps remains one of the most charming chapters. It serves as a reminder that even in the most cynical corners of Hollywood, there is a genuine, human connection forged through the artistry of dance—a connection that clearly left an indelible mark on the King of Pop, just as it did on the woman who danced her way into history.
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