Rita Moreno says she complimented Jessica Chastain's breasts when they first met

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Rita Moreno says she complimented Jessica Chastain's breasts when they first met
Rita Moreno.Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
  • Rita Moreno recalled how she met Jessica Chastain in a new Variety "Actors on Actors" interview.
  • She said that as Chastain was leaving the restaurant Moreno said: "I love your breasts."
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Rita Moreno recalled complimenting Jessica Chastain's breasts when they first met during Variety's latest "Actors on Actors" interview.

The two stars interviewed each other about their latest movies that are in the running for multiple awards this season. Moreno starred in and produced the recent remake of "West Side Story" and Chastain did the same for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."

Towards the end of the interview, Moreno recalled how the two stars met.

"I want to remind you that when we first met, I stopped you in that restaurant — I was with a friend, and you were waiting for a table," the "One Day At A Time" star said. "And you were leaving, and I said, 'Oh, I love you.' I think you said, 'I love you too.' I remember saying, 'Really?' But more than that, as you were leaving, I said, 'I love your breasts.' Do you remember that?"

Chastain said she didn't hear this comment before adding: "I must have thought you said, 'I love your dress.'"

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Chastain wasn't the only one surprised by Moreno's comment. Moreno said: "I remember my friend, who is gay, said to me: 'I can't believe you said that.' And I said: 'Why not?'"

To this Chastain replied: "My life is made."

Rita Moreno says she complimented Jessica Chastain's breasts when they first met
Jessica Chastain plays the titular character in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."Emma McIntyre/Getty Images; Searchlight Pictures

Earlier in the interview, Chastain talked about how she was a fan of Moreno's portrayal as Anita in the original "West Side Story" from 1961.

"You blew my mind the first time I watched 'West Side Story,' the original version," Chastain said. "For me, it was all about you playing Anita. So when you sang 'Somewhere,' that was the first time I started crying. I was so moved by that scene and by what you did, and the reexamining of that story and that world."

Moreno, who won an Oscar for the 1961 role, previously revealed in ABC News' "20/20" special "Something's Coming: West Side Story" that she almost quit the role because of offensive lyrics about Puerto Rico.

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During the interview with Variety, she praised how the remake's director Steven Spielberg and screenplay writer Tony Kushner "killed themselves" to get the story right.

"West Side Story" has already won three Golden Globes, including best picture for musical or comedy. Ariana Debose, who plays Anita in the reboot, has also been nominated for a SAG Award for her supporting role in the movie.

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