Rita Moreno reveals her inspiration behind ‘The Prank’ role

Rita Moreno, for her part in The Prank, drew inspiration from her encounters with Hollywood "bitches."

To promote the upcoming comedy film, in which she plays a cruel teacher who is accused of murder by two of her students after threatening to fail the entire class, the nonagenarian EGOT winner stopped by The View on Monday.

“This is the best part I’ve had in years,” Moreno told the show’s panellists. “It’s hilarious. It’s really a little cult movie.”

The actress didn't hold back while discussing how she embraced the part. “Let me tell you what I did: I just thought, how am I going to play this terrible person? And I thought of all the women in my life — particularly in show business — who’d really been awful to me — all of these bitches,” said Moreno.

Upon being prompted to jot down the names by co-host Ana Navarro, Moreno quips, "Too many, unfortunately."

“I said to myself, I thought, I’m going to use all of the things that they did with me and my little Puerto Rican past, and that’s what I do,” she continued. “And boy was that fun! I would finish a take and go, wepa, así se hace!”

Moreno also revealed that she chose the Mrs. Wheeler character's hairstyle and outfit. “I designed that horrible haircut, with the bangs that are too short,” she said. “All of the clothing we got from Goodwill. I said, I do not want her to dress well. She’s mean in spirit and mean in everything.”

Two years after debuting at SXSW in 2022, The Prank makes its theatrical debut on March 15.