By her own admission,America Ferrerawas not aBarbiegirl growing up.
Here, Ferrera reflects on womanhood, her career and making her directorial debut.
But of course, you have been sinceReal Women Have Curves,The Sisterhood of the Traveling PantsandUgly Betty.
America Ferrera at the IMDb Official Portrait Studio during D23 2022.Corey Nickols/Getty Images
Looking back, do you think this was intentional?
I couldnt even afford my books because I mainly paid for my own tuition and everything.
Im proud of young America, who made good choices.
America Ferrera inBarbie.Warner Bros./Everett Collection
Im proud of her because she worked hard to be prepared when the luck and opportunities came her way.
DEADLINE: Youve talked about not having a personal attachment to Barbie dolls as a child.
How did you find your way into theBarbiemovie and playing Gloria?
FERRERA:Its true.
I didnt play with Barbies growing up.
It was about us.
All the feelings we have about Barbie are about us.
Humans give her meaning.
How did you work with Margot and Greta to facilitate this relationship?
This isnt a Barbie and Ken love story.
These two women, real and imagined, are calling to each other.
They need each other to move forward to become the fuller version of themselves.
I know there are a lot of people on the internet who ship Barbie and Greta.
And I love that reading of it.
Barbie falling in love with what it means to be human.
And they do fall in love with each other in each others worlds.
They changed each other.
How did you personally relate to that in terms of your acting journey?
How did you navigate your self-doubts and stay on this path?
FERRERA:When I started out, I had an irrational level of confidence.
I didnt know what I didnt know, but everything was just sheer force of will and instinct.
I never went to acting school.
I could feel myself doing all my tricks, and it felt like I was on autopilot.
Id never been on a TV show before.
I never had to play a character for a year, much less for multiple seasons.
And I thought, I dont know how to do this.
Ive never built a creative process because I never went to acting school.
I then met my creative coach, Kim Gillingham, and Ive been with her for about 17 years.
DEADLINE: Next, youre working on your feature directorial debut,I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.
What can you share about that project and how it evolved?
Why was it important for you to make this book adaptation your debut?
I loved this book so much that I met with Erika to get to know her.
