My identity is a superpower -- not an obstacle | America Ferrera

TED Talks Daily

TED

Creativity, Ted Podcast, Ted Talks Daily, Business, Design, Inspiration, Society & Culture, Science, Technology, Education, Tech Demo, Ted Talks, Ted, Entertainment, Tedtalks

4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2019

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hollywood needs to stop resisting what the world actually looks like, says actor, director and activist America Ferrera. Tracing the contours of her career, she calls for more authentic representation of different cultures in media -- and a shift in how we tell our stories. "Presence creates possibility," she says. "Who we see thriving in the world teaches us how to see ourselves, how to think about our own value, how to dream about our futures."

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This TED Talk features actor, producer, director, and activist America Ferreira, recorded live at TED 2019.
0:11.0	On the red tiles in my family's den, I would dance and sing to the made-for-TV movie Gypsy starring Bet Midler.
0:20.8	I had a dream, a wonderful dream. to the made-for-TV movie Gypsy starring Bet Midler.
0:26.4	I had a dream, a wonderful dream, Papa.
0:32.3	I would sing it with the urgency and the burning desire of a nine-year-old who did, in fact, have a dream.
0:35.3	My dream was to be an actress. And it's true that I never saw anyone who looked
0:42.1	like me in television or in films. And sure, my family and friends and teachers all constantly warned
0:49.0	me that people like me didn't make it in Hollywood.
0:56.3	But I was an American.
1:01.7	I had been taught to believe that anyone could achieve anything,
1:04.4	regardless of the color of their skin,
1:08.0	the fact that my parents immigrated from Honduras,
1:09.9	the fact that I had no money.
1:14.5	I didn't need my dream to be easy.
1:16.5	I just needed it to be possible.
1:19.8	And when I was 15,
1:23.8	I got my first professional audition.
1:30.3	It was a commercial for cable subscriptions or bail bonds. I don't really remember,
1:38.8	but what I do remember is that the casting director asked me, could you do that again, but this time sound more Latina?
1:52.6	Okay, so you want me to do it in Spanish? I asked. No, no, do it in English. Just sound Latina.
2:00.9	Well, I am a Latina, so isn't this what a Latina sounds like?
2:05.6	There was a long and awkward silence, and then finally, okay, sweetie, never mind, thank you for coming in. Bye.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.