America Ferrera became a household name with her part in “Ugly Betty”, even winning a Best Lead Actress Emmy in 2007.
Ferrera’s win was historic as she was the first Latina to win in the category.
The actress is now discussing what crossed her mind at that moment.
“When I won the Emmy, I can’t bring myself to watch that because the only thing I remember about being on that stage, accepting that Emmy, was the feeling that no one in the room thought I deserved it,” she told Dax Shepard and Monica Padman on the “Armchair Expert” podcast. “And that’s a shame.”
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She went on: “[I was thinking], ‘She doesn’t really deserve that. What is she really doing in that role? That role is not interesting enough, it’s not dark enough, it’s not edgy enough.’ You know, all of the bullsh**t, which doesn’t enter your mind on its own.
There were people in my life perpetuating those narratives and making me feel like I hadn’t earned this moment,” she continued. “When I look back at that time, my heart aches for that 22-year-old girl, who didn’t get to really enjoy those moments.”
While Ferrera didn’t get to savour her Emmy win, working on “Ugly Betty” brought her another “win”.
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“I loved this character, loved this world… to have a feeling of this character and this story so needed in the culture right now. I just have a gut instinct that’s it’s going to speak so strongly to so many people, myself included, and to see that happen? That’s the best win ever,” she explained.
“It was maybe the hardest work I’ll ever do in my life but I loved it. The hoopla and the whirlwind that happened around it was challenging and exhausting. My whole life changed… On one hand, it’s what an amazing experience… but there was so much drama and so many challenging things happening in my personal life.”
