The new documentary “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It” premiered at the virtual Sundance Film Festival on Friday. As you can probably guess, the film focuses on the indomitable EGOT-winning icon Boricua.

According to the film’s director, fellow Boricua Mariem Pérez Riera, the movie is supposed to offer a stripped-down and intimate portrait of the real Rita Moreno.

“We always knew that we wanted this documentary to not be just a showreel of her career and how great she is,” Pérez Riera told NBC News.

“When I make or watch a documentary, I want to be able to know that person more than just what I already know, so it was very important for me to go deeper and to understand her as a human being.”

Pérez Riera also explains how she was attracted to 89-year-old Moreno as subject because she related to Moreno’s struggles with discrimination and insecurity.

“I related to all she was saying, her stories about discrimination, the insecurities she felt because of the way others perceived her, the complicated love relationships, and the constant need to work three times harder to prove to others that she is worthy,” the filmmaker said.

Much of the documentary focuses on Moreno’s struggle against a racist and sexist industry that repeatedly pigeonholed and underestimated her.

Thank you @THR! I am extremely proud of the final product and hope you all will be too!

Reminder, the film's world debut is tomorrow as part of (virtual) @sundancefest!!! #Sundance https://t.co/JmE1sumW3W

— Rita Moreno (@TheRitaMoreno) January 28, 2021

At the start of her career, Moreno was only cast in roles of ambiguously brown characters–Native American, Filipino, Hawaiian, and Thai.

“I wanted to turn the parts down, but that’s all that was offered and I had to make a living,” Moreno reveals in the film. “I was kind of stuck.”

The documentary also features dozens of interviews of Moreno’s friends, fans, and previous co-workers, including Morgan Freeman, Gloria Estefan, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and her “West Side Story” co-star, George Chakiris. Many of them reflect on the impact Moreno made on Hollywood.

Although Moreno has always been proud of her Puerto Rican heritage, she struggled with her sense of self-worth in Hollywood.

.@TheRitaMoreno on growing up without role models to reaffirm her Puerto Rican identity. "I grew up thinking that someone like me…Was not worth much." https://t.co/WRR3VB2ahb pic.twitter.com/GyJx1z7AYl

— Washington Post Live (@postlive) January 27, 2021

“When I went to Hollywood, I really learned where I stood in the world, and it was so sad and frustrating,” Moreno explained in an interview with the LA Times while promoting the documentary.

“There is something so awful about, if you were a performer, asking your agent to submit you for something and the people won’t even see you because they think you’re too Spanish or something. It’s so frustrating and you want to run and knock their door down and say: ‘Look, let me read this scene for you. I’m good. I’m really good. Let me. Watch me. Listen to me.'”

“Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It” will air on PBS soon as part of their American Masters series. Details about premiere date and time TBD.

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Shawn Mendes rose to fame at 15-years-old through the defuncted social media platform Vine. Years later, he is a worldwide pop sensation but even he falls victim to body image issues. Just goes to show that even famous men have problems with their own bodies.

Shawn Mendes is a certified hottie and that is just a fact.

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The “Treat You Better” singer has made men and women swoon around the world with his classical good looks and stunning physique. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been a heartthrob since he broke into the pop music scene and his fans are not letting him down anytime soon.

Yet, Mendes recently admitted that he struggled with body image issues.

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In an interview with British GQ, Mendes admits that he struggled with maintaining a healthy body image and self-confidence. The stress of fame and the constant public attention fed into Mendes’ own self-confidence and body image issues.

“‘“If you don’t work out, you’re going to lose fans,’” Mendes told British GQ about what he would tell himself.

The “Wonder” artist would get up two hours early to be able to work out.

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Mendes admitted that he would sacrifice sleep and his own health to get the body he thought everyone wanted to see. His Calvin Klein campaign added to his body image issues because of the cultural impact of Calvin Klein campaigns.

Mendes recalled his loved ones helping him by saying, “You are not your body. You are not your voice. You are not your songs. You are you and people love you because of you.”

Mendes thanks his girlfriend, Camila Cabello, for helping him on his journey of self-love.

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Mendes saw Cabello’s own strength in the face of body shaming. Cabello faced an onslaught of body shaming that dwarfed what he was feeling and going through.

“So strong, so clear and confident with her [body] and so articulate and empathetic about other people’s,” Mendes told British GQ about Cabello. “and it really changed my view of mine. It really changed my life.” 

Quarantine has become a chance for Mendes to figure who he wants to be.

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Mendes wants to show the world another side of him, which is his vulnerable side. He wants men to understand there’s a difference between being obsessed with your abs and being healthy.

You can read the rest of the British GQ interview here.

READ: Everyone Has Thoughts And Concerns About Camila Cabello And Shawn Mendes’ Quarantine Walks

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