Growing up in a Puerto Rican neighbourhood of the Bronx in the 1950s, Sonia Manzano never believed that one day she'd be on TV, entertaining and inspiring millions of viewers.
Although, as a girl, she loved watching hours of popular sitcoms, she never thought she belonged in the entertainment world.
"If you had told me when I was a kid that I was going to grow up and be on television or be something other than a secretary, which was my biggest dream, I would have told you to commit yourself to the nearest insane asylum," the actress, now grown up, told CTV's Canada AM.
"At the time, there were no people of colour on television… Mexican movies is where we saw Latin people in the media. It never would have occurred to me that it could have happened to me."
But Manzano did grow up, and went on to star on the beloved Sesame Street, taking on the role of "Maria," a character she would play for more than four decades. During her lengthy run, she also wrote for the show, took on roles in theatre, and wrote a children’s book.
As Maria, Manzano guided generations of children through their "ABCs" and "123s," along with a colourful group of monsters, friends, and children.
Now, after 44 years and 15 Emmy Awards for scriptwriting, Manzano is retiring. Her memoir "Becoming Maria" is coming out next month.
She recalls that, when she first started on the show in 1971, she asked producers for guidance on how her character should act. They told her she should just be herself.
"They're one person," she said, on the non-difference between Maria and Sonia. "They kept saying, 'We want you to be just exactly how you are. We want the kids in the inner city to have someone to relate to, we want the Latino kids watching the show to recognize themselves in you.'
"That's what the show wanted, they wanted real people at that time, and that's what we delivered."
It was that guiding principle that made Sesame Street so remarkable for its time, Manzano said.
Then, of course, there were the valuable life lessons taught on Sesame Street, which never shied away from such difficult topics as love, insecurities, and death.
Manzano says one segment, in particular, stands out for her: the time singer Lena Horne taught Kermit the Frog the importance of loving yourself, singing "It's not easy being green."
"That was a remarkable moment," she said. "It's very profound, it’s about being comfortable in your own skin. And I thought that was a very profound moment on the show. (Some) kids will think it's just Kermit being insecure, but other kids will take away something deeper."
And it is the show's ability to explore these topics, that makes it so special, Manzano said, noting that she often used TV to soothe herself throughout her tough childhood.
"I think a lot of people think you overcome difficult childhoods to succeed," she said. "I don't think I overcame my childhood, so much as I embraced my childhood.
"That's to say, every life is worthwhile, even the difficult one I led as a child."
