America Ferrera Reacts to Oscar Nomination for ‘Barbie’ Role

When Tuesday morning’s Oscar nominations were revealed, actress America Ferrera found herself in disbelief as she watched the announcement from bed while her husband Ryan Piers Williams dropped their children off at school. The news came as a shock for Ferrera, who received her first Academy Award nomination for her role as Gloria, the human protagonist in the blockbuster comedy ‘Barbie‘.

Ferrera admits she was unsure if she had imagined the nomination until her phone started buzzing with messages of congratulations, and her publicist and husband confirmed the news. Fellow ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ co-stars Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel were quick to reach out to Ferrera as well.

The ‘Barbie’ cast, scattered across the globe, resorted to sharing their congratulations via text messages. The outpouring of love and support from her colleagues left Ferrera feeling deeply grateful.

However, while ‘Barbie’ received multiple nominations including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Production Design, and Original Songs, two notable absences were Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie.

Ferrera expressed disappointment at Gerwig’s exclusion, stating that she had done everything a director could do to deserve a nomination. Robbie, who also produced ‘Barbie,’ missed out on an acting nomination, but Ferrera praised her phenomenal performance and described her as a master of her craft.

Despite the snubs, ‘Barbie’ made history as one of three films directed by women to receive a Best Picture nomination. Ferrera believes that celebrating women filmmakers and their diverse stories should be the norm, and hopes to see more female-directed movies recognized in the future.

Ferrera also finds encouragement in the diversity of the acting nominations, with representation for Latina, Black, and LGBTQ+ actresses. She is excited about the recognition of Lily Gladstone in the Best Actress category and sees it as a positive sign of progress in the film industry.