{"id":85686,"date":"2024-01-15T19:35:53","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T08:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=245498"},"modified":"2024-01-15T21:16:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T21:16:53","slug":"america-ferrera-critics-choice-speech","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/america-ferrera-critics-choice-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Critics Choice Awards 2024: Read The Full Transcript Of America Ferrera\u2019s Incredibly Inspiring Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 14: (L-R) Margot Robbie and America Ferrera, winner of the eighth annual SeeHer Award Award, pose backstage during the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Margot Robbie introduced Barbie<\/em><\/a> co-star America Ferrera as the recipient of the SeeHerAward at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, you could tell their friendship runs deep. So deep in fact, our eyes\u2014much like Ferrera\u2019s\u2014were welling up. You can watch the moment below.<\/p>\n

The SeeHer Award<\/a> is bestowed on a woman who \u201cadvocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries,\u201d per the release. And when Ferrera took to the stage, she embodied this very notion. In fact, this speech may become as famous as her character\u2019s monologue in Barbie<\/em>. Read the full, moving speech below. You can watch a glimpse of it below, as well.<\/p>\n

Thank you so much to the Critics Choice Association. Truly, your voices shape how people think about and value the stories we tell. I\u2019m deeply thankful to you for this acknowledgment and this honor. Receiving the SeeHer Award for my contributions to more authentic portrayals of women and girls \u2014 could it 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, I could feel myself in characters who were strong and complex. But these characters rarely, if ever, looked like me. I yearned to see people like myself onscreen as full humans.<\/em><\/p>\n

When I started working over 20 years ago \u2014 that seems impossible, I know \u2014 but it seemed impossible that anyone could make a career portraying fully dimensional Latina characters but because of writers, directors, producers and executives who are daring enough to rewrite outdated stories and to challenge deeply entrenched biases, I, and some of my beloved Latina colleagues, have been supremely blessed to bring to life some fierce and fantastic women.<\/em><\/p>\n

Uh, skip this part. I cut that. (Laughter.) Thank you. OK. Stop, stop, stop. (Applause.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Because of that, we have had the chance to bring through some deeply layered Latina characters and characters that I could not have seen growing up.<\/em><\/p>\n

But now I can see her and I see her expanding in the next generation of talent like my beloved Ariana Greenblatt, who plays my daughter in Barbie, and in Jenna Ortega, and in Selena Gomez, and in so many more out there. To me, this is the best and highest use of storytelling to affirm one another\u2019s full humanity, to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen \u2014 Black, brown, indigenous Asian, trans, disabled, any body type, any gender. We are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflective.<\/em><\/p>\n

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America Ferrera accepts the Critic’s Choice SeeHer Award at The 29th Critics’ Choice Awards held at The Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner\/Variety via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There have been so many people along my path who have truly seen me and who I would not be here without. So I have to think Jodi Peikoff, Carrie Byalick, Kim Gillingham, Ali Trustman and my wonderful team at CAA and my incredible publicists, Molly Kawachi and Brianna Smith.<\/em><\/p>\n

I also know that I would not be standing here today without Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig.<\/a> Margot, where\u2019d you go? Margot, you saw value in Barbie, an entirely female idea that most would have dismissed as too girly, too frivolous or just too problematic. But you had the courage and the vision to take it on. Thank you for gifting the world with Barbie.<\/em><\/p>\n

And Greta. Greta, I can\u2019t see you because the cameraman is standing right and I can only see Ryan [Gosling]. (Laughter.) There you are. Greta, thank you for proving through your incredible mastery as a filmmaker that women\u2019s stories have no difficulty achieving cinematic greatness and box office history at the same time and that unabashedly telling female stories does not diminish your powers, it expands them. Greta, your mind, your talent, your heart have inspired us all. And thank you for asking me to be your Gloria.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you to thank you to our Kens \u2014 Noah Baumbach, Tom Ackerley, David Heyman and Ryan Gosling \u2014\u00a0 for all being man enough to support women\u2019s work. You are all brilliant and you are more than \u201cKenough.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you to Pam Abdy, Mike De Luca, Robbie Brenner and the wonderful teams at Warner Bros. and Mattel for all of your support.<\/em><\/p>\n

And thank you to my husband, my husband Ryan, not Gosling, the other one.\u00a0El esposo de Gloria.\u00a0You see me and my dreams and you believe and support them as if they were your own. I love you.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is for every kid yearning to break in. I see you, and you\u2019ve got this. Thank you. Goodnight.<\/em><\/p>\n

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@officialcriticschoice<\/a> <\/p>\n

#AmericaFerrera<\/a> makes an increidble speech for her #SeeHer<\/a> award at the #CriticsChoiceAwards<\/a> \ud83e\ude77<\/p>\n

\u266c original sound – Critics Choice Awards<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n