Actress America Ferrera, who made her mark on sitcom television on the quirky ABC series "Ugly Betty," said she's happy with her foray into feature films.
"The hope of any actor is that their performance can transcend who they've played before," said Ferrera at opening night of the HBO-sponsored New York Latino Film Festival on Tuesday.
"I know what I'm capably of, and I think that I have many years ahead of me, knock on wood. I hope that my best work is ahead of me, and that I'm only going to get better."
The role America speaks of is her role as Sara in "The Dry Land," which was selected by the New York Latino Film Festival to open their week long event.
The movie was the feature film debut of “The Dry Land” writer and director Ryan Piers Williams, the starlet's longtime boyfriend. The young filmmaker told Niteside that besides the opportunity to work closely with Ferrera, there were many reasons her wanted to make this film.
“When I started reading articles about these soldiers coming home it just hit me in such a deep level. It got under my skin, just thinking about what all of these men are sacrificing a lot to protect us,” Williams said. “I just knew with all of my being that this was a story that needed to be told. I didn't care whether or not it was the right time, or I was going to find the financing or if it was even going to be good for my career.”
America, who also executive produced “The Dry Land,” admitted that she never truly believe that her hit television series would be cut so short. "The reason that I signed on to do 'Ugly Betty' is because she's a transformative character. That was interesting for me as an actor," the starlet said. "If I'm going to be on a show for seven years I want it to have change built into it.”
“I loved my cast and my crew there. We were a family. I didn't want that to end. At the same time I only wanted the show to go on as long as it is good.”
After the premiere attendees ventured to Kiss & Fly for HBO’s after party featuring a Johnny Walker-sponsored bar.
