Rita Moreno once opened up about the turbulent years she spent with Marlon Brando.
The subject came up during a conversation with Jessica Chastain for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series. Chastain commented on the fact that Marlon Brando, Rita's former costar and romantic partner, was more widely recognized for his work although Rita's was just as powerful.
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"I think you are every bit of the actor Marlon Brando was," Jessica remarked.
"That must have been so difficult for you in a time where you're seeing all of these opportunities being given to him."
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Rita went on to explain that it was thrilling for her to be with Marlon, but she didn't always see her own worth during that time.
"He and I had had a relationship for almost eight years. Ultimately, it was exciting to be with Marlon," she shared.
"Oh, my God, it was exciting. He was extraordinary in many, many ways, but he was a bad guy."
"He was a bad guy when it came to women. I was such a different person then. I had all the makings of a doormat," she continued.
"So whenever he lied, I would look at him and I'd say, 'Marlon, look at me.' And he'd start to grin this kind of — I don't want to use the bad word — that poop-eating grin."
Rita expressed that the closer they got, the more dangerous his behavior became.
"I could read him like a book and that's why he loved me, and that's why he mistreated me in so many ways. I tried to end my life with pills in his house," she candidly revealed.
"That's how I tried to do it. I didn't understand that if I was going to kill this pathetic, sad, trod-upon Rita, the rest of Rita was also going to go with me. I really didn't seem to understand that. But that's what the attempt was. It was an attempt."
After their split, Rita and Marlon wouldn't cross paths until they worked together on The Night of the Following Day.
"After that, a few years later, was the movie we made together. What's interesting is that he wanted to renew," she shared.
"I was now married. I had a beautiful child, Fernanda. He was ready to have a go again."
"I didn't want that. But he did," she continued.
"He lost a big part of himself, I think. The good part of him, the good Marlon that Rita loved. It was very complicated. Really, really complicated."
