While Barbie had many hilarious moments, like Ryan Gosling‘s performance of “I’m Just Ken” or the perfectly timed one-liners from Margot Robbie, one moment made fans from all over the world shed a tear: America Ferrera‘s iconic monologue. In the speech, her character Gloria talks about the struggles and realities of being a woman in today’s society, from the struggles women face with their careers to their own bodies.
The tear-jerking speech, however, is just a sliver of Ferrera’s undying commitment over the years to playing history-making Latina characters who make a difference in the world, from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Ugly Betty, and beyond. So, during tonight’s 2024 Critics Choice Awards, Ferrera was awarded the SeeHer award for her trailblazing career.
“Thank you so much to the Critics Choice Association,” Ferrera began her speech. “Truly your voice shaped how people think about and value the stories we tell. I’m deeply thankful to you for this acknowledgment and this honor of receiving the SeeHer award for my contributions to more authentic portrayals of women and girls.”
“This couldn’t be more meaningful to me because I grew up as a first-generation Honduran American girl in love with TV, film and theater who desperately wanted to be a part of a storytelling legacy that I could not see myself reflected in,” Ferrera continued. “Of course, I could feel myself in characters who are strong and complex, but these characters rarely, if ever looked like me. I yearned to see people like myself on screen as full humans.”
“When I started working over 20 years ago,(…) it seemed impossible that anyone could make a career of portraying fully dimensional but because of writers, directors, producers and executives who were daring enough to rewrite outdated stories, and to challenge deeply entrenched biases, I and some of my beloved Latino colleagues have been supremely blessed to bring to life some fierce and fantastic women,” she continued.
“I and some of my beloved Latina sisters have had the chance because of that we have had the chance to break through some deeply layered Latina characters that I could not have seen growing up,” Ferrera continued, calling out to many rising Latina stars like Ariana Greenblatt, Jenna Ortega and Selena Gomez.
“To me, this is the best and highest use of storytelling, to affirm one another school humanity to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen,” Ferrera continued, as the audience began a round of applause and the cameras started showing stars with tears in their eyes. “Black, Brown, indigenous, Asian, trans, disabled, anybody type of any gender we are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflected.”
Ferrera then concluded her speech by thanking her team and Barbie co-stars. “Margot, you saw value in Barbie and an entirely female idea that most would have dismissed as too girly, too frivolous or just too problematic,” she told Robbie, who presented her with the award. “But you had the courage and the vision to take it on. Thank you for gifting the world with Barbie.”
To her director, Greta Gerwig, Ferrera also shared some kind words. “Greta, thank you for proving through your incredible mastery as a filmmaker that women’s stories have no difficulty achieving cinematic greatness and box office history at the same time,” Ferrera told the director. “That unabashedly telling female stories does not diminish your powers, it expands them. Your heart has inspired us all. And thank you for asking me to be your Gloria.”
Lastly, Ferrera thanked her husband, Ryan Piers Williams. “You see me and my dreams and you believe and support them as if they were your own,” she said, making us all reach for a tissue. “I love you. This is for every kid yearning to break in. I see you. And you’ve got this. Thank you. Goodnight.” What an incredible history-making speech!
Before you go, click here to see all the Golden Globe-nominated films that focus on complicated women below:
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