Rita Moreno Defends Lin-Manuel Miranda Amid Colorism Criticism: 'Leave It Alone'

The actor's comments about critics of "In the Heights" were lambasted on social media as "disappointing" and dismissive of the Afro Latinx community.

Acting legend Rita Moreno defended “In the Heights” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda on Tuesday and implored those criticizing the film for whitewashing to “leave it alone.” In an interview with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show,” the PEGOT winner addressed complaints that the film based on the 2008 Broadway musical by Miranda did not properly represent the demographic in Washington Heights, the community on which it’s based. Namely, there’s been much backlash for a glaring lack of Afro Latinx representation alongside many light-skinned and white-passing actors, including Anthony Ramos and Leslie Grace. Moreno asked Colbert if she could address the criticisms about Miranda, stressing that it “really upsets me” and emphasized that Miranda co-produced her documentary, “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.”