
America Ferrera Talks “Barbie” Movie and Feminism
Clip: 1/17/2024 | 5m 55sVideo has Closed Captions
America Ferrera talks about her role in the "Barbie" movie and its feminist message.
It’s one of the most talked-about movie moments of the year — the breakout scene in the billion-dollar blockbuster "Barbie" where America Ferrera, as the non-Barbie Gloria, makes a speech about what it is to be a woman in the modern world. Christiane spoke to the actress just before she nabbed the SeeHer Award at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles.
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America Ferrera Talks “Barbie” Movie and Feminism
Clip: 1/17/2024 | 5m 55sVideo has Closed Captions
It’s one of the most talked-about movie moments of the year — the breakout scene in the billion-dollar blockbuster "Barbie" where America Ferrera, as the non-Barbie Gloria, makes a speech about what it is to be a woman in the modern world. Christiane spoke to the actress just before she nabbed the SeeHer Award at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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PBS and WNET, in collaboration with CNN, launched Amanpour and Company in September 2018. The series features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on issues impacting the world each day, from politics, business, technology and arts, to science and sports.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipAMERICA FERRERA, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
>> THANK YOU.
>> HOW SURPRISED WERE YOU AT THE HUGE IMPACT THAT MONOLOGUE HAD, YOUR SPEECH, IN "BARBIE," WHICH WAS ALREADY SUCH A SUCCESSFUL FILM?
>> IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE HOW IT HIT THE AUDIENCES, AND WHAT THE RESPONSES WERE.
I KNOW THAT WHEN I -- WHEN I FIRST READ THE SCRIPT, EVERYTHING BEFORE AND AFTER AND INCLUDING THE MONOLOGUE -- WE HAVE TO ALWAYS BE EXTRAORDINARY, BUT SOMEHOW, WE'RE ALWAYS DOING IT WRONG.
I KNOW THAT WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY, AND IT WAS ALL JUST SO UNEXPECTED.
AND AS A WOMAN, I WAS JUST SO EXCITED, YOU KNOW, THAT -- THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE BARBIE MOVIE THAT NO ONE ASKED FOR AND THAT NO ONE THOUGHT WE NEEDED, YOU KNOW?
>> AND KIND OF SUBVERSIVELY, SERIOUSLY FEMINIST.
>> YES, YES.
>> AND NOBODY BELIEVED THAT.
THEY THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE ANOTHER TELLING OF A REALLY INCREDIBLE DOLL THAT SO MANY MILLIONS OF GIRLS AROUND THE WORLD PLAYED WITH.
>> YEAH, AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN THAT, YOU KNOW, IT VERY EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING BRIGHT AND FUN AND EXCITING AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE MADE A LOT OF MONEY AND BEEN SUCCESSFUL, BUT WHAT GRETA AND HER PARTNER NOAH DID WITH THE SCRIPT AND THEN GRETA AS THE DIRECTOR CREATING THIS WORLD, IT WAS SO GENEROUS AND IT WAS SO EXCITING AND, YOU KNOW, AS AN ADULT WOMAN, MOTHER, YOU KNOW, TO GET A THIRD OF THE WAY INTO THIS SCRIPT AND THEN TO MEET THIS -- THIS ADULT, REAL, FLAWED, YOU KNOW, INSECURE BUT HAVING AMBITION WOMAN, LIKE, STRUGGLING TO BE, YOU KNOW, SO MANY THINGS TO SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE, IT WAS SO EXCITING TO FEEL LIKE WE HAD A VOICE IN THE STORY.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT -- I FELT THAT WAY INDEPENDENT OF BEING ASKED TO BE A PART OF IT, JUST AS A WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
>> HOW DID YOU COME TO GET THIS ROLE?
>> YEAH.
>> AND DID YOU -- WERE YOU A BIT NERVOUS ABOUT ACCEPTING A ROLE ABOUT A PLASTIC DOLL?
>> WELL, I HAD NO DESIRE TO BE IN A BARBIE MOVIE.
THE IDEA OF A BARBIE MOVIE WASN'T NECESSARILY EXCITING TO ME, BUT THE IDEA OF GRETA AND MARGOT BEING BEHIND IT WAS EXCITING TO ME.
SO, WHEN I READ THE SCRIPT, IT WAS JUST ALL RIGHT THERE, LIKE, EVERY EXPECTATION.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, YOU KNOW, BUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU IMAGINED IS JUST TOTALLY TURNED ON ITS HEAD AND, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, LIKE, SEEING HOW MANY PERSPECTIVES WERE INCLUDED, AND THAT THIS WASN'T JUST, YOU KNOW, A BUBBLE GUM POP MOVIE FOR, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY FANS OF BARBIE, OR WHO WANT TO SEE BRIGHT COLORS OR REALLY WANT TO SEE RYAN GOSLING IN NO T-SHIRT, IT REALLY HAD SOMETHING TO SAY.
>> AS YOU SAID, IT'S A VERY FUN MOVIE, AS WELL AS THE SERIOUSNESS.
WE'RE GOING TO WATCH A CLIP OF YOUR CHARACTER, GLORIA, AND DAUGHTER, SASHA.
>> I LOVE ROLLER BLADES.
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
>> BARBIELAND.
>> WHAT?
>> MOM?
ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LET BARBIE TAKE YOU THERE?
>> YES.
YOU KNOW WHY?
I NEVER GET TO DO ANYTHING.
>> OH.
>> WHAT ABOUT DAD?
>> HE'LL BE FINE.
>> YEAH, YEAH, HE'LL BE FINE.
>> READY FOR FUN?
>> WHAT WAS THAT SCENE LIKE TO DO?
WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF ALL OF THAT?
>> I LOVED THAT -- SHOOTING THAT WHOLE SEQUENCE, AND WHAT THAT WHOLE SEQUENCE OF GLORIA DRIVING THE CAR AND THE CAR CHASE AND GETTING ON ROLLER BLADES, AND IT'S SUCH WISH FULFILLMENT, BUT TO PUT A GROWN ADULT MOTHER WORKING WIFE WOMAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT, WHO GETS TO BE THE CENTER OF THE ADVENTURE, AND WHO DOES FINALLY GET TO SAY, LIKE, I'M GOING TO DO WHAT I WANT TO DO, AND THIS IS THE CRAZY THING I WANT TO DO, IT WAS SO FUN, AND AS A WOMAN, AS A MOTHER, IT RESONATED SO DEEPLY, SO, YES, WE'RE HAVING FUN, BUT WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING SO TRUE IN OUR CULTURE.
>> AND SO ZEITGEIST.
>> YEAH.
>> ALMOST LIKE A TROJAN HORSE FOR THOSE WHO ARE AFRAID OF FEMINISM, I THINK.
CERTAINLY SOME WOMEN STILL ARE, THEY DON'T EVEN LIKE TO SAY THE WORD.
>> RIGHT.
>> CERTAIN NUMBER OF MEN ARE STILL WORRIED ABOUT IT.
THE IDEA OF DOING WHAT YOU ALL DID THROUGH HUMOR AND THROUGH FUN MUST HAVE BEEN KIND OF THE WAY TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE ACCESSIBLE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, I THINK IN A WAY, TO BRING PEOPLE INTO SOMETHING THAT IS MAYBE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THEM, YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT A PARTY.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT IRRESISTIBLE.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT MORE FUN OVER HERE THAN WHAT'S HAPPENING OVER THERE, SO THAT PEOPLE PERK UP AND LISTEN AND SHOW UP, AND THEN GET EXPOSED, YOU KNOW, UNDERNEATH THE LAUGHTER, TO SOMETHING THAT THEY WEREN'T EXPECTING TO GET HIT WITH, AND, I MEAN, THAT'S THE BRILLIANCE OF GRETA, AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, LIKE, WELL, THIS ISN'T VERY, YOU KNOW, ADVANCED, IT'S NOT SAYING ANYTHING WE DON'T ALREADY KNOW -- FIRST OF ALL, THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW.
THERE ARE COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT BANNED THIS FILM FOR WHAT ITIS AND WHAT IT'S SAYING.
THERE'S PLENTY OF YOUNG WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF ALL GENDERS WHO HAVE NEVER HAD THE WORDS OR THOUGHT ABOUT PATE YARD CAN I AND THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE WAY THAT THIS FILM ILLUMINATES.
AND I THINK THAT WE'RE IN TROUBLE IF -- IF WHAT WE NEED IS FOR EVERYBODY TO BE AT AN ADVANCED ENTRY LEVEL TO WHAT WE WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND.
LIKE, WE'VE GOT TO MEET EACH OTHER WHERE WE ARE, AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WHETHER -- WHATEVER IT'S ABOUT.
INVITING PEOPLE IN, AND NOT TRYING TO SPEAK DOWN TO PEOPLE AND SAY, WELL, THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO TALK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WOMAN.
Trump's Deputy National Security Advisor on U.S.-China
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: 1/17/2024 | 18m 2s | Matt Pottinger, former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser discusses US-China relations. (18m 2s)
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