THERE'S A PLACE FOR US

Ariana Debose celebrates her historic Oscar win as an openly queer Afro-Latina actress

- NICI DE WET

SHE wasn't initially keen on auditioning for the role; she was too busy, she had too many commitments, and she wasn't properly prepared.

Yet she was persuaded to give it to a go and she must be thanking the gods of fate right now.

Ariana Debose is one of the darlings of this year's award season after her electrifying performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg's remake of the 1957 musical West Side Story.

The 33-year-old made history at the Oscars by becoming the first Afro-Latina actress and the first openly queer woman of colour to win a little gold statue.

Ariana, who won for Best Supporting Actress, had some powerful competition: Judi Dench (Belfast), Kirsten Dunst (Power of the Dog), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), and Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard).

But Ariana it was - and in her acceptance speech, she spoke of the magic of dreams coming true. She also paid tribute to her 90-year-old West Side Story co-star Rita Moreno, who was the first Latina star to win an Oscar for playing Anita in the first movie version of the production 60 years ago.

In the remake, Rita plays the part of Valentina and is also an executive producer of the film. “She paved the way for tons of Anitas like me, Ariana said.

"You see a queer - openly queer woman of colour, an Afro-Latina who found her strength in life through art and that's what I believe we are here to celebrate.

“So to anybody who has ever questioned their identity or find yourself living in the grey spaces, I promise you this: there is indeed a place for us?

Her Oscar is the cherry on top of a glittering awards season that saw her take home a Golden Globe, a Bafta, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Critics have heaped praise on her. “Her energy in her singing, her dancing, her line-reading could power a metropolitan block,” Rolling Stone magazine says.