YOU KNOW MY NEXT GUEST FROM "THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING
PANTS," "UGLY BETTY" AND THE DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
SHE NOW STARS IN THE COMEDY, "SUPERSTORE."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK AMERICA FERRERA!
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
>> HELLO!
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOO THE LAST TIME WE WERE TOGETHER YOU AND I
ATE SOME HORRIBLE SANDWICHES TOGETHER.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: OUR CHILDHOOD FOOD THAT WE MADE FOR OURSELVES
BECAUSE WE WERE LATCH KEY KIDS.
I HAD WHITE BREAD WITH MAYONNAISE AND SUGAR.
>> AND I HAD AN INCH OF CORN FLAKES AND SUGAR.
>> Stephen: BOTH WAR CRIMES, TECHNICALLY.
BUT NOW YOU'RE SUPER HEALTHY.
I UNDERSTAND-- I HAVE A PICTURE HERE YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO ME.
YOU RAN A TRIATHLON THIS WEEKEND?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: SO WHAT I DOES THAT MEAN?
WHAT-- WHAT DOES THAT CONSTITUTE?
WHAT ARE PARTS OF IT?
>> THAT MEANS YOU SWIM A MILE IN THE OCEAN.
>> Stephen: WHERE?
>> IN THE OCEAN.
>> Stephen: BUT WHERE OCEAN?
WHICH OCEAN?
>> THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT SHARKS?
>> STEPHEN, I SPENT A LONG TIME TRYING TO PRETEND LIKE SHARKS
DIDN'T EXIST.
>> Stephen: SHARKS COEXIST.
SHARKS ARE OUT THERE?
>> I KNOW I JUST TOLD MYSELF THEY DON'T.
LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE.
YOU JUST JUST SAY IT DOESN'T EXIST AND IT DOESN'T.
>> Stephen: ONE MILE IN THE OCEAN.
>> 25 MILES BIKING AND A 10"K" RUN, THAT'S 6.2 MILES.
>> Stephen: I DON'T HAVE IT THE STICK-TO-IVE-NESS TO DO
THAT.
HAD YOU DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE?
>> I HAD NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE IT THAT BEFORE.
IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS ON TRACK AND FIELD BUT MAINLY TO SPEND
TIME WITH MY BEST FRIEND AND I DID THE ONE THING THAT DIDN'T
REQUIRE RUNNING.
I DID SHOT PUT.
>> Stephen: WAIT A SECOND, DID YOU SHOT PUT?
>> I DID SHOT PUT IN HIGH SCHOOL.
>> Stephen: DID YOU WEIGH, LIKE, 240.
YOU'RE TOO SMALL TO DO SHOT PUT.
>> I WASN'T VERY GOOD.
I DON'T THINK I EVER COMPETED.
I JUST WANTED TO BE THERE TO BE WITH MY BEST FRIEND AND TALK.
>> Stephen: THAT IS YOU FINISHING THE TRIATHLON, AND YOU
GOING TO THE EMMYS THE NEXT TIME?
>> THE SAME NIGHT.
THAT'S THE SAME NIGHT.
THAT'S THE NIGHT-BEFORE PARTY.
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TRIATHLON I HAD TO GET DRESSED UP BUT I KEPT
MY TRIATHLON NUMBERS ON BECAUSE THEY WERE SO BAD-AS, IS.
>> Stephen: YOU SHOWERED AND WENT TO THE EMMYS.
>> I SHOWERED AND WENT TO AN AFTER-PARTY AND THE NEXT DAY WE
WENT TO THE EMMYS, YES.
THAT'S MY HUSBAND.
HE'S VERY CUTE.
>> Stephen: HE IS VERY CUTE.
SO ARE YOU.
I DON'T THINK I'D HAVE THE STICK-TO--IVENESS TO DO IT.
ARE YOU A HARD WORKER?
>> I.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB.
>> MY FIRST JOB I WAS HIRED BY MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR TO CLEAN A
PET PIG.
>> Stephen: I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD HAVE A PIG LIVE IN YOUR
HOUSE.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS LEGAL.
BUT IT HAPPENED.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS LEGAL TO HIRE A NINE-YEAR-OLD TO CLEAN
THE PIG.
BUT I DID IT.
>> Stephen: THAT SOUNDS LIKE ROUGH WORK.
>> BUT I NEEDED THAT CASH.
>> Stephen: I KNOW.
>> I HAD TO PAY FOR THE THE CORN FLAKES AND THE SUGAR.
>> Stephen: SOMEBODY'S GOT TO.
DID YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO SAY HELLO TO THE FIRST LADY?
>> I DID.
IT WAS VERY EXCITING.
>> Stephen: SHE'S VERY NICE, ISN'T SHE?
>> SHE'S AMAZING.
SHE'S INCREDIBLE.
I'M SO GRATEFUL PEA HAVE HER VOICE AND HER SANITY IN THIS
TIME.
( APPLAUSE ).
( CHEERS ) YEAH.
>> Stephen: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHE WAS SAYING, NOT ON
CAMERA, BUT SHE WAS SAYING THAT THE IDEA OF ASKING A YOUNG
WOMAN, "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?"
SHOULD NOT STOP ONCE YOU GROW UP.
PEOPLE SHOULD BE CONTINUALLY ASKED, "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE
WHEN YOU GROW UP?" >> I AGREE WITH THAT.
>> Stephen: SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP,
AMERICA FERRERA?
>> I WANT TO BE KINDER.
>> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.
ARE YOU A JERK NOW?
( LAUGHTER ) >> I MEAN, I WANT TO WORK
TOWARDS BEING A KINDER, MORE COMPASSIONATE, MORE
UNDERSTANDING PERSON.
>> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.
>> YEAH.
AND I ALSO THINK, TOO, I HEARD A REALLY INTERESTING THING, THAT
INSTEAD OF ASKING KIDS, "WHAT DOCUMENT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW
UP?" YOU CAN ASK THEM, "WHAT DO YOU
HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE WHEN YOU GROW UP?"
AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS A REALLY SPECIAL WAY OF LOOKING AT IT.
>> Stephen: WELL, THAT'S NICE.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT PART AM I GOING TO PLAY IN SOCIETY?
>> YEAH, WHAT DO I HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE?
WHAT DO I HAVE TO GIVE, TO LEAD LEAVE WORD JUST A LITTLE BIT
BETTER.
>> Stephen: THE FIRST TIME YOU WERE HERE YOU WERE HERE FOR
"SUPERSTORE."
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND IT'S BEEN PICKED UP FOR ANOTHER SEASON.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT.
( APPLAUSE ) YOU SAID-- I UNDERSTAND YOU
SAID-- I UNDERSTAND YOU SAID THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE
BEEN CAST IN A PART THAT WASN'T SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN FOR A LA
TINA.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
>> IT MEANS IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS ASKED TO DO A ROLE
THAT WASN'T SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN FOR A LA TINA.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: JIMMY, JIMMY,
LET'S CUT THAT QUESTION OUT OF THE INTERVIEW, PLEASE.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
>> IT MEANS THAT EVERY OTHER ROLE THAT I HAD BEEN OFFERED HAD
BEEN SPECIFIED.
ANNA, LATINA, 20-SOMETHING.
CARMEN, LATINA, 20-SOMETHING.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I READ A SCRIPT, AMY, 30, NO ETHNICITY.
THAT SEEMS LIKE NOT A BIG DEAL.
BUT IN TELEVISION OR FILM IF THE ETHNICITY ISN'T SPECIFIED THE
ASSUMPTION AND DEFAULT IN MOST CASES IS WHITE.
AND YOU HAVE TO GIVE A REASON FOR THAT ROLE TO BE SOMETHING
OTHER THAN THAT.
AND SO FOR OUR WRITERS TO WRITE THIS WORLD AND TO WRITE NOT JUST
MY CHARACTER BUT ALL THE CHARACTERS JUST AS PEOPLE AND
NOT SPECIFY THEIR ETHNICITY.
BUT THEN GO OUT AND CAST THE BEST PERSON FOR THE ROLE WHO
HAPPENED TO BE LATINO, BLACK, ASIAN, THAT FELT REALLY UNIQUE
IN THIS INDUSTRY, AND UNIQUE IN THE WORLD.
( APPLAUSE ) TO BE SEEN AS A PERSON BEFORE
YOU'RE SEEN AS, YOU KNOW, THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN.
>> Stephen: AMERICA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: CATCH "SUPERSTORE" ON NBC.
AMERICA FERRERA, EVERYONE!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.