America Ferrera reveals her fascination for male-animated characters and how her single mother raised her like a power girl
How has been the experience of portraying a strong character of Astrid in How To Train Your Dragon 2IJ
It is wonderful that the audience will be seeing a male and a female character as equals in their capabilities and their excitement. Astrid likes to be a leader and Hiccup is bit of a loner. She is nordic, blonde and blue-eyed and so I am glad that Astrid’s character is not a typecast of Hiccup. Astrid is great, she is a natural born leader who is probably better suited to being the future Chieftain of Berk than Hiccup is.
What was it like doing the animationIJ
I worked with Jay Baruchel in the sound booth and it was wonderful, particularly in the more gentle scenes of Astrid and Hiccup. The scenes had to be playful, it had to be tender and I think Jay and I have good chemistry which is portrayed well on the screen. So when we got into the sound booth we were able to play off of each other really well. Usually in animation you are recording on your own, and it really helps being together for a scene.
Why do you think the first installment of this series was so popular with audience and criticsIJ
Of course the animation was beautiful and the experience of the dragons flying in 3D was incredible. There were unlikely characters. It was fun. But I think what people really connected to most was the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless – a boy and this emotional, beautiful, unknowable creature.
What movies did you love as a kidIJ
I grew up loving The lion King. I’ll never forget when Mufasa dies in the film. I remember watching it ten times and crying every time and thinking, ‘No! How could they do thatIJ’ And what’s interesting is that as a girl, a lot of the characters I related to were the male characters because they were doing what I wanted to be doing. They were having the adventures. I didn’t watch lion King and think, ‘Yes, I want to be Nala.’ I thought, ‘I'm Simba!’. What’s exciting about How To Train Your Dragon is that girls can relate to Hiccup, but they also have an image of a girl, Astrid, that they can relate to. It is fun that now this generation of girls is growing up with images of women who are getting to have fun and go on adventures.
You mentioned that a core theme in How To Train Your Dragon 2 is the relationship between Hiccup and his mother. How inspiring was your own motherIJ
To say that my mother has had a huge influence on my life is an understatement. She was a single mother raising six kids and was very capable and powerful and a real force. I had a strong foundation. Education was a huge aspect of my childhood. My mother like so many parents who leave everything they know to come to the United States from other countries (Honduras) for a better life did so, in the hopes of a better future for her children, not for herself. School always came first in our family and I was a very good student.
Were you also acting at a young ageIJ
I knew that I wanted to act from the time I was eight. My mother let me do it and I think she always imagined it was just a hobby or a phase and that eventually I would become a lawyer (laughs). But my love of acting didn’t go away. I was quite amazed at how quickly opportunities came for me. I didn’t expect to be working as an actor by the time I was 17.
Ugly Betty was a massive hit. How did that TV show change your lifeIJ
While I was playing Betty, I had a tunnel vision. I wasn’t experiencing the show the way the audience and the fans were seeing it. I was aware that people were enjoying it, but my day-to-day life was just focused on the work, and I loved the work.
You are viewed as a role model by girls and young women, how do you respond to thatIJ
Well I didn’t ask to be a role model, it came with the territory. The possibility for me was that I could play some part in the progress of the way in which women and minorities are portrayed. It has been a hard journey to figure out what that means and how that affects me in my day to day decisions, but I feel very blessed to be where I am right now and blessed that it has even been possible for me to have the career I have.
Apart from films and television, you triumphed on stage in Chicago as Roxie Hart. How enjoyable was that roleIJ
It was awesome. I had never done a musical as a professional actor and I had been battling a fear of singing. Then the opportunity came around to do Chicago in the West End. It was terrifying to me, but it was a dream to work as a stage actor in london. So I jumped in and it was a really awesome, but a hard experience. I have so much respect for musical theater actors now. My entire days were spent asking, how can my mind, body and voice be in shape to do this performance eight times a weekIJ It was great and I’ve never taken better care of myself. It was really exciting.
What is your next projectIJ
My most recent project is X/Y. I have produced and starred in with my husband, Ryan Piers Williams who is the writer and director of X/Y. The movie is an intimate character driven story set in New York. X/Y was very personal experience for me. I’ve had a lot of fun producing and being a part of the creative development and process in my work.