( APPLAUSE )
WELCOME BACK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST IS AN EMMY AWARD-WINNING
ACTRESS, DIRECTOR, AND ACTIVIST YOU KNOW FROM "UGLY BETTY" AND
"SUPERSTORE."
HER NETFLIX SERIES, "GENTIFIED," HAS JUST RETURNED FOR ITS SECOND
SEASON.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," AMERICA FERRERA!
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>> Stephen: HEY.
>> HI!
>> Stephen: IT'S SO NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> IT'S SO GOOD TO BE BACK.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE NOT TALKED, YOU KNOW, IN FRONT OF A
CAMERA SINCE 2018.
>> I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT.
>> Stephen: AND THINESS THEN, YOU HAVE HAD A BABY GIRL,
LUCKIA.
CONGRATULATIONS.
>> SHE'S NUMBER TWO.
SHE WAS BORN MAY 2020.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT, GREAT.
>> I WAS SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT WHEN QUARANTINE BEGAN.
AND SHE HAS A LOT OF 2020 ENERGY.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> SHE IS FIERCE, AND SORT OF UNRELENTING, AND SHE BITES
OCCASIONALLY.
>> Stephen: SURE.
IT HAS-- I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS, IT'S FLOWN SO FAST, "UGLY BETTY"
PREMIERED 15 YEARS AGO.
( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: YOU'VE CHANGED A LITTLE.
AND WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT GETTING THAT GIG?
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE THE LEAD?
>> OH!
>> Stephen: ON THIS SHOW?
>> I WAS-- I WAS 21.
I WAS DOING AN OFF-BROADWAY PLAY.
IT WAS A TWO-DAY SHOW.
I WAS IN BETWEEN SHOWS.
I WAS GOING AROUND THE CORNER TO GET A PIZZA BECAUSE THAT WAS
WHAT WAS CHEAP AND I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY, AND I GOT THE
PHONE CALL WHILE I WAS HAVING A SLICE OF PIZZA IN BETWEEN SHOWS
OFF BROADWAY.
IT WAS, OBVIOUSLY, LIFE CHANGING ON SO MANY LEVEL S.
>> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU KNOW THE SHOW WAS A HIT?
>> I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I WAS WORKING SO HARD AND I WAS ON A
SOUND STAGE, LIKE, 20 HOURS A DAY.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE TIME.
YOU'RE IN A BUBBLE.
>> YOU DON'T-- YOU'RE IN A BUBBLE.
YOU DON'T HAVE THE CONCEPT OF YEAH, I GUESS PEOPLE ARE
WATCHING THIS.
17 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED THE PREMIERE.
WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?
THAT'S JUST A NUMBER.
BUT I THINK THE FIRST TIME I REALIZED WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ON
TELEVISION, LIKE IN PEOPLE'S LIVING ROOMS ALL AROUND THE
WORLD, I WAS TRAVELING, I WAS ON A VAXZ WITH MY-- MY NOW HUSBAND,
THEN BOYFRIEND, WE WERE IN ITALY, AND WE WERE GOING TO
MORANO, WHICH IS A TINY ISLAND WHERE THEY BLOW COLORFUL GLASS.
AND WE WERE LIKE THIS IS SO NICE, WE'RE GETTING AWAY.
AND I WAS ON THIS TINY ISLAND AND THIS WOMAN SAID, "UGLY
BETTY!" AND I WASOV A TINY ISLAND IN
ITALY AND SOMEONE RECOGNIZED ME.
AND I THOUGHT I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.
AND, ALSO, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO BUY SOME COLORED GLASS NOW,
BECAUSE SHE WAS SUCH A FAN, AND SHE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE
THINK YOU'RE ON TV AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF MONEY.
BUT EVERYTHING SHE SHOWED US WAS LIKE A $20,000 BOSTON TERRIER.
AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT-- SO I LEFT WITH THIS $600 MENORAH.
AND I'M NOT JEWISH!
BUT, LIKE, BUT -- >> Stephen: I BET IT'S LOVELY.
I BET IT'S LOVELY.
>> BUT NOW MENORAH IS MY HUSBAND'S CODE WORD FOR, LIKE,
EJECT.
LIKE, DO NOT GET-- LIKE, DO NOT GET-- DON'T LET THIS PERSON
UPCELL YOU!
BUT I DIDN'T WANT THE 20,000 BOSTON TERRIER, SO I WENT FOR
THE MENORAH, AND I GAVE IT TO MY FRIEND, SARAH, WHO SEND ME A
LOVELY PICTURE EVERY HANUKKAH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S LOVELY.
IT HAD A HAPPY ENDING.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE BEEN SO POLITICALLY ACTIVE, YOU KNOW,
WORKING TO EMPOWER OTHER LATINOS, AND I'M JUST WONDERING,
LIKE, MANY PEOPLE ARE POLITICALLY ACTIVE IN-- IN
VOTING.
HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT GOING BETWEEN THE TIMES WHEN IT'S SORT
OF IN THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS NOT AS MUCH?
>> YEAH, WELL I THINK THOSE ARE THE TIMES WHEN IT'S THE MOST
IMPORTANT TO ENGAGE COMMUNITIES AND ENGAGE PEOPLE.
BECAUSE, LOOK, I FEEL LIKE I'VE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF-- I COULD
SET MY CLOCK EVERY TWO MONTHS BEFORE AN ELECTION, YOU KNOW.
PEOPLE THINK IT'S ENOUGH TO, LIKE, PULL OUT "UGLY BETTY" AT A
RALLY AND BE LIKE BUENOS DIAS!
GO OUT AND VOTE."
LIKE THAT'S A WINNIE STRATEGY, AND IT'S NOT, SHOCKER.
AND I THINK WHAT I'VE LEARNED BEING OUT THERE, REGISTERING
PEOPLE TO VOTE, IT'S NOT ABOUT PEOPLE'S VOTE.
IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIVES.
AND PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHEN THINGS ARE TRANSACTIONAL AND
YOU'RE JUST THERE TO GET A VOTE A COUPLE OF MONTHS BEFORE A
CAMPAIGN.
COMMUNITIES NEED SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT.
THEY NEED EDUCATION.
THEY NEED-- THEY NEED TO DEEPLY UNDERSTAND HOW THEIR VOTE IS
TIED TO THEIR LIVES, TO THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE, TO THEIR
EDUCATION, TO THEIR-- TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND I THINK IT'S THE WORK WE DO IN A NONELECTION YEAR THAT
DETERMINES WHAT HAPPENS IN AN ELECTION YEAR.
( APPLAUSE )
ABSOLUTELY, RIGHT.
AMERICA FERRERA, WHY AREN'T YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?
>> OH, GOD.
WHY AREN'T YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?
( APPLAUSE )
TOGETHER.
WE'LL RUN TOGETHER.
EXACTLY.
BUT COME ON, PRESIDENT AMERICA.
>> IT WRITES ITSELF A LITTLE BIT.
>> Stephen: IT KIND OF DOES.
IT KIND OF DOES.
>> Stephen: YOUR SHOW "GENTIFIED" IS BACK FOR SEASON
TWO.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR THAT.
THAT'S ALWAYS A VERY GOOD FEEL.
ON "GENTIFIED" HERE DIRECTING AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCING.
SO WHAT IS THE SHOW ABOUT AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT THIS YEAR?
>> "GENTIFIED" IS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME AS AN EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR.
I DIRECTED EIGHT EPISODES.
THE SHOW IS ABOUT THE MORALES FAMILY IN BOYLE HEIGHTS, A SMALL
MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN LOS ANGELES.
AND IT'S ABOUT THIS FAMILY AND IT'S ABOUT THEIR JOB AND LOVE
AND HUMOR.
AND AT THE CENTER OF THIS SEASON-- THE END OF SEASON ONE,
SPOILER ALERT.
GO WATCH IT-- IS THAT POP, WHO WE KNOW AND LOVE WHO THE WHOLE
FAMILY HAS BEEN FIGHTING TO KEEP HIS TACO SHOP OPEN GETS PICKED
UP BY ICE, AND WHEN HIS FAMILY LEARNS THAT HE IS IN FACT
UNDOCUMENTED.
SO SEASON TWO IS ABOUT HIM NOT KNOWING WHAT HIS FATE IS GOING
TO BE.
AND POP IS PLAYED BY THE INCOMPARABLE JOAQUIN CARCIO.
HE'S LIKE OUR MARLON BRANDO.
HE'S BRILLIANT.
AND IT'S THIS STORY ABOUT HUMANIZING THE FAMILIES AND THE
LIVES AND THE PEOPLE BEHIND WHAT MOST PEOPLE KNOW AS HEADLINES
AND STATISTICS.
BUT IT'S A COMEDY-DRAMA, AND IT'S HILARIOUS AND HAS STYLE AND
WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH AND CRY, AND I-- FOR ME, IT'S A DREAM COME
TRUE.
AS SOMEONE WHO STARTED IN THIS INDUSTRY 20 YEARS AGO AND WAS
ASKED TO SPEAK WITH MORE OF AN ACCENT, AND THERE WEREN'T, YOU
KNOW, ROLES FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME WHEN I BEGAN.
AND SO TO COME FULL CIRCLE 20 YEARS LATER TO TO GET TO CREATE
AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE AND DIRECT SHOWS THAT CREATE THAT
OPPORTUNITY FOR SO MANY LATINX TALENTED CREATORS IS REALLY A
DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: WELL, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SECOND
SEASON.
SEASON TWO OF "GENTIFIED" IS ON NETFLIX NOW.
AMERICA FERRERA, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
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