Hard work defines actor’s life, not glitz and glamour

  Lee Strasberg Creative Center America
Ferrera, appearing in "The Have Little," balances her
acting career with her life as a high school student.

By Esther Pasternak
Daily Bruin Contributor

It is easy to flip on the TV or go to a movie and envy the
actors for their seemingly easy and glamorous careers. The way
America Ferrera balances being a high school student with being an
actor, however, reveals the hard work behind the glamour.

Currently, America Ferrera is starring in the play “The
Have Little,” at the Marilyn Monroe Theater at the Lee
Strasberg Creative Center in West Hollywood. Ferrera plays Lillian,
a young girl growing up in tumultuous South Bronx during the
’70s. The play explores Lillian’s struggle to find her
place in the world in the face of poverty, a difficult relationship
with her divorced parents and a boyfriend who turns to drugs.

Although playing Lillian might seem opposite to Ferrera’s
life as a student at El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills,
Ferrera sees many similarities between the choices she and her
character have to make.

“Lillian tries to find her place in the world, while
I’m graduating high school and trying to see what I’m
going to do with my career and education,” Ferrera said.
“I’m faced with all those life changing decisions and
trying to find my place in the world as well. I think Lillian is
almost going through the exact same thing, but she is forced to do
it at a younger age.”

To simultaneously reach her academic and career goals, Ferrera
had to make many sacrifices. During her junior year, Ferrera had to
miss classes when she received her first role to play
“Yolanda” in the Disney Channel Movie “Gotta Kick
it Up.” Even though Ferrera could not attend class for seven
months, she maintained a full academic schedule that included two
AP classes.

“School and my career are two things that are so important
to me that it was worth waking up at four o’clock in the
morning, driving to work, coming home at about nine and then doing
my homework until about two and then waking up again,”
Ferrera said. “It was a really rough time, but I’m sure
it won’t get any easier, and I’m willing to do
it.”

Ferrera’s dedication paid off after her second role in the
film “Real Women Have Curves.” Her role as Ana in the
film won her the first ever special acting jury prize at the 2002
Sundance Film Festival. In describing her sense of accomplishment
about the award, Ferrera echoed Halle Barry’s acceptance
speech for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.

“I felt so much pride, not in myself, but in the
art,” Ferrera said. “I felt honored that other artists
can appreciate a young 17-year-old Latina’s work. I felt like
I was accepting that award, not just for me, but for all the
Hispanic women everywhere.”

“Real Women Have Curves,” which will air on HBO in
September, explores the issue of self-discovery and finding an
identity. Ana has to decide if she wants to please herself or her
parents and society, a dilemma with which Ferrera also
wrestles.

“It was so amazing to play that part because that is how I
feel every day of my life,” Ferrera said. “I learned so
much, not just about acting, but (also) about myself. I grew so
much on that set. When I came in on the first day and when I left,
I was like two different people. I had grown up so much.”

Now Ferrera is looking ahead to new academic and career
challenges. She has been accepted to various colleges in
California, including UCLA and USC, and is waiting to hear replies
from Harvard, Yale and Berkeley. While leaning toward majors such
as political science or international relations, she also wants to
spend time exploring her various interests.

“The reason why it’s so important to go to college
and continue my education is because smart people make smart
actors,” Ferrera said. “I feel that every experience
and everything I do in my life will contribute to my work and to
what I do. All of the tough times I have had in my life have only
made me a better artist.”

“I’m thankful for the bad things in my life just (as
much) as the good things,” she added.

THEATER: “The Have Little” plays
Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. through
April 14 at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre at the Lee Strasberg
Creative Center at 7936 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Tickets are $17 on Thursday evenings and Sunday matinees and $19 on
Friday and Saturday evenings. For tickets, call The Lee Strasberg
Creative Center Box Office at (323) 650-7777.