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Making her motion picture debut in REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, 18 year old America Ferrera differs from other cast members in that she does not speak fluent Spanish. Born and raised entirely in the United States, Ferrera is, like her character, a true first-generation American.
The youngest of six children born to Honduran parents, Ferrera was raised in a single parent household in Woodland Hills, a middleclass area of the San Fernando Valley. She is proud that all her siblings have college degrees. Ferrera herself, a valedictorian - "we had a few" -- of her high school class, will soon enter the University of Southern California on a Presidential scholarship. She plans a double major -- in International Relations and Theatre - while pursuing acting on the side.
The action of REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES revolves around a combative relationship between mother and daughter. Ana scorns the back-breaking labor her mother and sister perform in a sewing factory, determined to circumvent that destiny for herself. She wants to go to college but is a bit confused on how to get there. Her mother is not supportive. When her high school teacher attempts to intervene, relations between mother and daughter go from bad to worse.
Ferrera perceives her tough-love movie mother played by Lupe Ontiveros as similar to her own. "She wants the best for her daughter and she thinks teaching her to sew is that 'best'. Latin mothers know what they know. My mother and I are so much alike that we tend to butt heads," she ruefully admits.
In real life, Ferrera's mother is a hotel executive whose responsibilities include the supervision of maids, many of whom are Latinas. "I grew up in her office so I've seen these women. They are trying to survive," she explains. A natural performer, Ferrera began acting in school plays, moving on to formal study at 15. "My mother was skeptical but I got a waitress job to pay for my classes, pictures and other expenses. " She signed with an agent and went up for commercials but got her very first job on the Disney Channel - as a cheerleader in Gotta Kick It Up.
Ferrera was at Northwestern University's summer theatre camp when REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES came calling. "I taped an audition and sent it back but I didn't expect anything." Fate, however, had other plans. After six call-backs, America Ferrera was cast as Ana, the film's feisty protagonist. "I was immediately attracted to the character because I've been experiencing similar things in my own life. As a first-generation Latina, the constant question is 'Are you Latin or are you American'?" She continues, "I never even saw myself as Latina until I started to audition for roles, but I could relate to the economics of my character's situation as well as to the image issue. Caring about your appearance is universal. I know 45 year old women who still hate their bodies. There are no magazines that say 'love who you are on the inside first, and worry about the outside later'."
As for technique, she's still learning. "Somebody said 'acting is not about putting on but about stripping down... I try to find one little piece of the character I can relate to...then blow it all out of proportion."
Her best memory from the film is the scene where they all undress. "I wasn't comfortable stripping down. Inside myself, I had doubts but outwardly I had to portray a character with confidence. It was very liberating, a celebration of all our imperfections. What is perfection, any way? Does it even exist?"
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