America Ferrera shares what her younger self would think of being nominated, wishing she had the confidence she had at 17, working with Greta Gerwig and more at the 2024 Oscars.
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00:00 Tell me about your Barbie inspired look tonight.
00:02 This is custom Versace, handmade, and it's stunning. I love it.
00:10 You look so amazing. I remember watching Gotta Kick It Up when it premiered on Disney Channel over 20 years ago.
00:16 What do you think about what the America who made that movie would think about being here tonight as an Oscar nominee?
00:22 The America who made Gotta Kick It Up wants to know why she wasn't nominated for Gotta Kick It Up.
00:26 She straight up was like, "This is it. I'm going to make this Disney Channel movie and I'm going to be nominated for an Oscar."
00:33 She didn't quite understand how the Oscars worked and that you couldn't be nominated for a Disney Channel movie.
00:39 But no, 17-year-old America saw it all and had a really strong vision and had so much faith.
00:50 She was so persistent. There were times in my career where I thought, "Wow, how was I so... I want some of that confidence now."
00:59 The confidence that I had and had to have at 17 to really take on what seemed quite unlikely.
01:08 Who is someone in your life who championed your love of acting at that age and made you believe that this dream was possible?
01:14 That's such a good question. You know, it's interesting.
01:22 I feel like I remember that when I got my very first job doing Gotta Kick It Up and I was still 17, so I still needed a guardian on set.
01:33 My own mother couldn't be my guardian because she was working and she couldn't not work.
01:38 And so my best friend at the time, his mother, her name is Vicki Adams, she came and she was my guardian.
01:50 And she got someone else to take her kids to school so that she could be my guardian on set and support me in that way.
01:57 And I will never forget the support and the love.
02:00 It's been a long journey to the Oscars here tonight.
02:03 When you think back on your award season journey with Barbie, what's been the highlight of it for you?
02:08 Wow. I think the highlight of this experience is being in rooms with other artists and creative people who have all been on their journeys.
02:21 And we all know what it takes and we all know how hard it is to make anything, much less anything that resonates and that is good and that people appreciate.
02:31 So, you know, I know it looks on the outside like a big old competition, you know, like a gladiator fight.
02:38 But the truth is through the campaign, you only gain more respect and admiration for your fellow artists who are all making beautiful work, which is not easy to do.
02:50 I've been asking people tonight who's been their award season BFF through this whole journey.
02:55 Oh, God, you're going to make me pick.
02:57 Oh, God. Well, I have particularly loved hanging out with Daniel Brooks and also Lily Gladstone.
03:05 But all I mean, also, like Emily Blunt's been so lovely and Dave Viner's been amazing and Joe.
03:11 I mean, everyone's been so wonderful.
03:13 Of course, Greta Gerwig directed this movie. How would you describe being on a set that's led by a woman?
03:20 Well, I mean, I think that it's hard to generalize.
03:25 Everyone's different. But being on a set led by Greta is to be wrapped in so much love.
03:33 She loves the work so deeply and she leads with her heart and her passion and her joy, which is so wonderful.
03:41 And her example is an invitation to all of us to lead with the seriousness, but also the joy and the playfulness with which we come to this, you know, as kids, as young artists.
03:55 You know, it's play. And so even though it's work and it's daunting and there are high stakes, she manages to bring so much joy.
04:05 And so, you know, and she gives that to everybody on her set.
04:10 Coming up, you have The Lost Bus, and it's actually based on a book that was written by someone I went to high school with, Lizzie Johnson.
04:16 What made you want to be a part of that project?
04:19 The story, the journey of the characters, the character Mary, I play and Kevin that Matthew McConaughey is playing.
04:28 And also Paul Greengrass is a legend and someone I've wanted to work with for a very, very long time.
04:34 And it's just a beautiful story about humanity and I'm excited to make it.
04:40 And finally, what are you going to do tomorrow when this is all over, all this award season craziness?
04:44 I'm going to get back on a plane and go home to my children. They're over it. They're like, "Mom, when are you coming home?"
04:50 They're little though. They're five and three, so they don't, you know, it's hard for them to really know what's happening.
04:56 But yeah, I'll hopefully have a fun late night and then sleep for a couple hours and then get on a plane and go home.
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