Celebrity Rita Moreno combats loneliness in her 90s by making friends at the supermarket "I've never had to seek people's company," the actress said. "You know why? Because people have always come to me." By Lauren Huff Lauren Huff Lauren Huff is a writer at Entertainment Weekly with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019. EW's editorial guidelines Published on November 28, 2023 08:46PM EST Rita Moreno doesn't want to be all by herself, at least not all the time. The EGOT-winning actress and singer recently spoke with PEOPLE about realizing in her 90s that she was lonely — and the surprising way she handled it. Moreno, who turns 92 on Dec. 11, told the outlet that she had recently moved into a new condo when her daughter, jewelry designer Fernanda Luisa Gordon, noticed a change in her and confronted her about it. "I said I didn't know. I didn't know what was wrong," Moreno recalled. "I really didn't understand what was happening. I remember thinking, 'I can't go on like this.' I'm in the most beautiful apartment in the world as far as I'm concerned, and this is happening. Why is this happening?" Rita Moreno. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images Moreno, who stars next in Netflix's comedy Family Switch, said she used her years of therapy to get to the bottom of it, and realized she was lonely being in a new place with her loved ones not all living near her. "I've never had to seek people's company," she told PEOPLE. "You know why? Because people have always come to me." She continued: "One day I thought, 'This is ridiculous. I have to meet some people,' That particular day when I made that decision, I went to the supermarket to do some shopping, and I ran into a lady who I kept running into, who's lovely." After chatting it up with the woman, who naturally recognized Moreno, the actress asked if the woman would like to get lunch with her. "She said, 'Lunch with you? Really?' I said, 'Yeah.' She said, 'Yeah.' We went and had lunch," Moreno recalled. "She sat down and she said, 'Do you always pick people up like this in the market?' I told her the truth. I said, 'No, but you always have struck me as such a lovely person. Since I'm new here and I don't know anybody, I thought I'd take a dip.'" The supermarket stranger and Moreno have since become friends, and the 80 for Brady star said she's not the only new pal she's made recently. “I also met people from the apartment, the building, who are marvelous," Moreno said, adding, "I'm so lucky." Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Rita Moreno is 'text buddies' with Ludacris and Marshawn Lynch: 'I like my Black boys' Rita Moreno confesses she had to 'dance down' in 80 for Brady number Rita Moreno got turned on filming the 80 for Brady locker room scene: 'I kept grabbing myself'