While celebrating her own nomination, Ferrera said she's 'disappointed' Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig were overlooked.
While her first career Oscar nomination is a dream come true, America Ferrera admits that the moment is bittersweet in light of some of her Barbie colleagues being snubbed for their own awards.
Ferrera earned a nod in the Best Supporting Actress category when the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning, however, she shared that it was disheartening to see that the film's very own Barbie, Margot Robbie, and director Greta Gerwig were left out of the Best Actress and Best Director, categories, respectively. (For her part, Robbie is nominated as a producer of the film in the Best Picture category.)
"I was incredibly disappointed that they weren't nominated," Ferrera said in a statement to Variety following the nominations announcement. "Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it. Creating this world, and taking something that didn't have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list."
The critically acclaimed film went on to become the highest-grossing film ever from a female filmmaker at the domestic box office, as well as the top-earning worldwide film of 2023, with nearly $1.5 billion to date. As producer and star, Robbie championed Barbie every step of the way, including presenting Ferrera with the #SeeHer Award at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards last week.
"What Margot achieved as an actress is truly unbelievable," Ferrera said of Robbie's performance. "One of the things about Margot as an actress is how easy she makes everything look. And perhaps people got fooled into thinking that the work seems easy, but Margot is a magician as an actress in front of the screen, and it was one of the honors of my career to get to witness her pull off the amazing performance she did. She brings so much heart and humor and depth and joy and fun to the character. In my book, she's a master."
Barbie did make Oscars history as one of three films directed by a woman to earn a Best Picture nod this year, which Ferrera said is cause for its own celebration.
"Women filmmakers telling all different kinds of stories that resonate in different ways in the culture is the goal," she noted. "I would love to see even more female-directed movies on the list and to see more female directors acknowledged for making the best cinema of the year."
In a statement to ET, she shared, "I'm stunned and so moved to be nominated among the brilliant artists who have done beautiful and important work this year. And I'm so proud to get to bring Latiné representation to this year's Academy Awards, along with my fellow Latiné nominees. May the diversity of voices acknowledged by the Academy continue to grow! I'm thrilled to celebrate my phenomenal Barbie family and all their achievements. Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie made history and raised the bar with Barbie. The cultural and industry impact they've achieved will be felt for generations and I'm so thankful to them for asking me to be a part of it."
In her Variety interview, Ferrera again praised the Academy for recognizing a diverse group of women in the Supporting Actress category, with herself, Danielle Brooks, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Jodie Foster representing marginalized groups in powerful performances.
"It feels great to see the range of women that are being acknowledged in the supporting actress category and so excited that Lily Gladstone was in the Best Actress category as well," she shared. "We should be getting to enjoy the work and performances of all different kinds of artists. Opportunities were created for these artists to do their work. It's exciting to see that those opportunities did exist in this year of film for women of color to get to shine and be a part of the best filmmaking of the year."
As for her own honors, Ferrera admitted when she first heard the news she "wasn’t sure if I had made it up."
"And then my phone started blowing up so I figured that I must have heard it right," she added. "I still haven't really been able to get in my feelings because I'm still on like the top layer of 'I can’t even believe that this is real.'"
The actress shared that she received celebratory calls from her publicist, her husband, Ryan Piers Williams -- who also plays her on-screen husband in Barbie, and was driving their kids to school when the nominations were announced -- and then her lifelong friends and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars, Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel.
"They FaceTimed me as a group right away," Ferrera shared. "It was hilarious and funny and emotional and it's wonderful to be celebrated and held up by my sisters. These women who I've had the honor of growing up with in this industry and being loved and cheered on and supported by them. Which we all do for each other. They're amazing, and such a gift in my life."
The 96th Academy Awards will be presented live from the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. PT on ABC. Until then, keep checking ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage.