Rita Moreno chugs into Chicago as busy as ever

What do you do when you're one of the few people whose entertainment career has earned you Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards?

Well, if you're Rita Moreno, you keep on working.

"I'm all over the place," the 83-year-old legend said by phone recently. "They really keep me jumping."

Later this year, Moreno - who won an Oscar for her role in 1961's "West Side Story" - will be one of six entertainment icons recognized by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her new children's show, "Nina's World," debuts on Sprout later this month. Her new album, "Una Vez Mas," is available in a couple of weeks. And she'll be in town Wednesday to present Chicago's own renowned author and poet Sandra Cisneros with one of the city's Fifth Star awards at a ceremony open to the public at Millennium Park.

Spanning a nearly 70-year career on stage and screen, Moreno isn't shy about her experiences in the entertainment industry and is even less shy sharing her thoughts on those she's crossed paths - and sometimes swords - with during her career.

One of the first people to ever receive Chicago's Jeff Award, for her 1969 performance in "The Rose Tattoo," Moreno complained she doesn't have enough time this trip to hit all her favorite Second City haunts.

"But I was there about three months ago with my daughter and we ate our brains out and walked all over," she said. "I adore that city."

In a wide-ranging interview, Moreno chatted about the roles that made her famous, explained why people are still shouting 30-year-old catchphrases from television shows at her and took a jab at Madonna.

<b>Q.</b> What do you think is your best work?

<b>A.</b> My best work happened on the stage. I played two really fabulous roles. But in terms of lasting memory, it's got to be Anita in "West Side Story," no question. It had such an enormous impact. It did a great deal for me, and I will be known forever because of that film.

<b>Q.</b> Do you have roles you regret not taking?

<b>A.</b> I was never offered enough, and that's the truth. I was always typecast as a Latina.

<b>Q.</b> How did you get tapped to present "The House on Mango Street" author Sandra Cisneros with the Fifth Star Award?

<b>A.</b> I recorded an excerpt from that book a bunch of years ago and I've been looking forward to meeting her for ever and ever. But the event I'm going to be a part of just really moves me that this city would take the time and trouble to forward and support artists and emerging artists. Leave it to Chicago to come up with something like that.

<b>Q.</b> Tell us about your new television series, "Nina's World," on Sprout?

<b>A.</b> I love their objectives and how they treat all their projects with enormous respect. I play Nina's grandmother Abuelita - which means little grandma - who has a pivotal role. Let me say this about Sprout, which is why I went with them, I didn't need to do this, but my spirit does. It's just a different show, there aren't any zany characters who talk with wacky voices and no special effects. It's very authentic. It's real storytelling. When Abuelita takes Nina to the museum, but it's closed, they go home and they make their own museum in the garage and Nina learns about things that way. There's lessons, but no finger-wagging.

<b>Q.</b> You're no stranger to children's television. Do you still get people who know you best from "The Electric Company"?

<b>A.</b> You would be amazed. I was walking through a restaurant recently and we had to walk through the bar to get to our seats and there's this pudgy man with half a head of hair who turns on his seat and shouts, "HEY YOU GUYS!" That makes me feel so good. You can't be complete until you do things for other people and that's what that show did. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

<b>Q.</b> Would you have ever guessed back then that Morgan Freeman would become essentially the most revered and beloved actors of a generation?

<b>A.</b> When he and I both left "Electric Company" I asked him what he was going to do next, and he told me about this amazing play he was going to do in Minnesota and he invited me to see it. When I saw him in it, I thought, "Oh, this is way more than just Easy Reader. This guy is for real."

<b>Q.</b> You've lived a very colorful life and your memoir was pretty racy. You detailed your longtime love affair with Marlon Brando and your fling with Elvis. How difficult was it to put it all out there like that?

<b>A.</b> You've got to make a decision when you write about your life, and I decided I was going to be honest and some of those things will be embarrassing. The most important men in my life were Marlon and my husband, and those are who I concentrated on. There could have been lots more, I promise you. And in hindsight there are some I wish I hadn't mentioned. What's interesting is my daughter only went so far and that's up to the point where my husband got sick. It was too hard for her, but everything else she read.

<b>Q.</b> Are you still surprised white actors are getting roles of minority characters?

<b>A.</b> Do you think that really still happens? I really haven't thought about it that much because I've seen so little of it. The most recent I can think of is Madonna in "Evita," and the thing you need to know is Eva Peron was a fair-skinned blonde person. But heaven knows there are lots of people in Argentina who would have played that role beautifully. I never thought Madonna was authentic in that role anyway, but I don't think she's a very authentic actress to begin with. I don't think it comes to her naturally. How was that for diplomatic?

<b>Q.</b> What would you have done if you hadn't gone into the entertainment industry?

<b>A.</b> I probably would have ended up working with children because I really adore that kind of work. I really love children, which is one of the reasons I think community service is so important.

<h3 class="briefHead">Moreno on ...</h3>

We asked Rita Moreno for her first thoughts on some of her famous co-stars over the years. These were her responses:

Marlon Brando: Wow!

Elvis Presley: Meh

Jack Nicholson: Terrific

James Garner: Best guy in the world

Jim Henson: Genius

Ted Knight: Annoying. A real pain in the ...

Natalie Wood: Sad

Bill Cosby: So sad

Esther Williams: Big-time gossip

Yul Brynner: The king

Deborah Kerr: Naughty lady

Morgan Freeman: Fabulous

Carol Burnett: Funny, funny, funny

JK Simmons: Superb

Christopher Meloni: Mr. Sex

Fifth Star Awards

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16

Where: Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago

Admission: Free