Chita Rivera

Proust Questionnaire

This month, Chita Rivera celebrates almost 50 years on the Broadway stage with Chita & All That Jazz, a revue of her spectacular career from West Side Story to Kiss of the Spider Woman. Still stunning at 65, the two-time Tony winner reveals here that, while she identifies with Mother Teresa, she always wanted to look like Sophia Loren

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Survival and getting out of the chorus.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

World peace. No starvation.

Which talent would you most like to have?

To be a painter or a sculptor.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

My lack of resemblance to Sophia Loren.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

"I'll call you."

What is it that you most dislike?

Racism.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Mother Teresa.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Millions of compassionate people who find time to help others. Good teachers.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Shoes.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Dishonesty.

What is your favorite journey?

Italy—all of Italy—especially Positano.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Being virtuous.

What is your greatest regret?

Daddy having died when I was seven years old.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Lisa, my daughter.

What is your most treasured possession?

My homes.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Hunger.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Loyalty.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Honesty.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Strength.

What are your favorite names?

William Morris.

How would you like to die?

I wouldn't.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

A cheetah.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?

Natalie, my Labrador.

What is your motto?

"Give it all you got."