Sonia Manzano
Performer & Writer
About This Interview
Sonia Manzano was interviewed for one-and-a-half hours plus at the Sesame Workshop in New York, NY. Manzano spoke in great detail about her 35-year run as "Maria" on the classic children's series Sesame Street , for which she has appeared continuously from the beginning of its run. She described her audition for the show, a typical production week and important milestones for her character including her marriage to Luis and the birth of their daughter. She described her prominence as a role model for Latinos on television, as a result of the popularity of the series. She also talked about key creative talent from the series including: Jim Henson and puppeteer Fran Brill, as well as performers Bob McGrath, Emilio Delgado, Loretta Long, Matt Robinson, Will Lee, Roscoe Orman, Linda Bove, Kevin Clash, and Carroll Spinney. The interview was conducted by Karen Herman on July 15, 2004.
Related To This Video
Featured Content
Video: "Sesame Street's" Maria and Luis sing "Hola":
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Highlights
Sonia Manzano on the TV she watched as a child and how that influenced her
Clip begins at: 03:07, Duration: 03m 34s- Sonia Manzano on her audition for Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 22:24, Duration: 06m 04s 
Sonia Manzano on the natural aging of her character Maria on Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 00:10, Duration: 00m 58s- Sonia Manzano on why there weren't many female and ethnic Muppet characters on Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 02:06, Duration: 01m 27s - Sonia Manzano on the first piece she wrote for Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 05:28, Duration: 03m 04s - Sonia Manzano on the Sesame Street episode "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" (airedate: November 24, 1983)
Clip begins at: 22:50, Duration: 03m 08s 
Sonia Manzano on her favorite moments and reactions to Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 23:05, Duration: 03m 18s
Sonia Manzano on the legacy of Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 07:39, Duration: 00m 39s- Sonia Manzano on the highlight of her career -- which she compares to Hud
Clip begins at: 08:23, Duration: 01m 05s - Sonia Manzano on how she would like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 09:47, Duration: 00m 48s
Interview
- Part 1
- On her early years growing up in New York and her own experiences with learning and racism
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her interest in performing and being cast in the original production of Godspell
Clip begins at: 17:00 - On her audition for Sesame Street and her realization about what the show was meant to be
Clip begins at: 22:15 - Part 2
- On her Sesame Street character Maria and how she began to write for the show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On important stories and themes covered on Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 10:10 - On her Sesame Street colleagues Will Lee and Matt Robinson
Clip begins at: 26:34 - Part 3
- On the cast of Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the set, Muppets, and puppeteers on Sesame Street
Clip begins at: 07:44 - On her favorite moments on Sesame Street and the legacy of creator Joan Ganz Cooney
Clip begins at: 22:29 - Part 4
- On the importance of continuing to perform
Clip begins at: 0:29 - On her advice to aspiring writers, the legacy of her character and Sesame Street , and how she'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 02:50
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What an inspiration.
What a great interview! The part where she recognizes Sesame Street as her own childhood neighborhood brought a tear to my eyes.
@wsbtam So am I. I'm 29 and I would love to see a film of all the characters new and old get together and have like some kind of get-together. And basically talk about the past on to the present and future. Also showing old clips too.
@khtyson1 Smart idea to have Sonia hired, period.
i loved maria when she was on the show... her favorite moments tho are not the ones the fans remember... at least not the ones i remember. i only saw 1984-1992, so some of the best ones, but i only watched one to three times a week.. not every day. i had to go to school.. but watched it when i got home at 3 or 4pm.
Ya! I realy loved hola!
I loved-- LOVED -- how she explained the relationship between the death of John Lennon and the death of Jim Henson to different generations. Absolutely a brilliant observation, and so very true. That's exactly my experience.
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