America Ferrera delivered an inspirational speech emphasizing the importance of representation while accepting the SeeHer Award at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards.
Ferrera, known for her role in Ugly Betty, was honored with the award at by Margot Robbie, her co-star in Barbie. She praised Ferrera for transforming the landscape of the film and television industry through her storytelling as a Latina woman. “She blazed a trail for Latina actresses while teaching everyone we are so much more than what we think we are.”
Ferrera won an Emmy for Ugly Betty, and Robbie highlighted that she was the first Latina to achieve this in the Lead Actress in a Comedy category. Stepping onto the stage, Ferrera moved the audience to tears with her impactful reflections on the importance of equal representation for everyone.
She said, “I yearned to see people like myself on screen as full humans. When I started working over 20 years ago, that seems impossible, I know. It seemed impossible that anyone could make a career of portraying fully dimensional Latina characters.”
Ferrera added, “But because of writers, producers and directors… I and some of my fellow Latina colleagues have been supremely blessed to have brought to life some fierce and fantastic women.”
The Barbie actress extended a shoutout to her co-star Ariana Greenblatt, along with Jenna Ortega and Selena Gomez, acknowledging them for bringing to life characters that Ferrera expressed she “could not have seen growing up.”
“To me, this is the best and highest use of storytelling,” she continued. “To affirm one another’s full humanity. To uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen. Black, Brown, indigenous, Asian, trans, disabled, any body type, any gender, we are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflected.”
America Ferrera also acknowledged Robbie for seeing the, “value in Barbie, an entirely female idea that most would have dismissed as too girly, too frivolous or just too problematic.”
She ended her speech with, “This is for every kid yearning to break in — I see you, and you go this.”
