Rosario Dawson Remembers Being a ‘Mermaid at Heart’ as a ‘Coney Island Girl’ (Exclusive)
CONEY ISLAND #CONEYISLAND
“Seeing with awe, loving and playing: Those will all be your superpowers,” the actress wrote to her younger self for PEOPLE’s 2023 Beautiful Issue
© Provided by People Courtesy Rosario Dawson; Shane McCauley / Trunk Archive Rosario Dawson at age 2
Rosario Dawson is honoring her roots.
For PEOPLE’s 2023 Beautiful Issue, the Haunted Mansion actress wrote a letter to her younger self about perseverance and growing up in New York City.
“Your favorite memories from this time will be long boardwalk walks with your grandma Mima to Luna Park, where you would breeze along together on a weird worm-shaped train on the Big Apple roller coaster,” Dawson, 43, writes.
“Though your innocence will soon be shattered by the harsh inequities of this world, you will weather those hardships just like the ups and downs on that strange little ride where you learned to surrender to the journey,” the star continues.
Related:Melissa McCarthy Says Gracing PEOPLE’s Beautiful Issue Cover Is ‘Saying Something Lovely to My Younger Self’
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Dawson adds, “As a Coney Island girl, you’ll forever be a mermaid at heart, navigating nurture and nature, your transformations constantly affirming everything that excites you about the world — that it is as magical as you can wish, dream and believe.”
“You will be overwhelmed many times for all of the stunning ways you get to embody this life,” she concludes. “Seeing with awe, loving and playing: Those will all be your superpowers. Love, Rosario.”
Dawson stars in Disney’s Haunted Mansion, in theaters July 28, and on Disney+’s upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka, streaming in August.
Watch the full episode of The Beautiful Issue Cover Story: Melissa McCarthy
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