On July 21, 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer birthed a worldwide summer cinema phenomenon that ended up generating billions at the box office while landing both movies to critical acclaim and now, Oscar nominations. For a movie revolving around a fourth-wall-breaking Mattel doll, Greta Gerwig flexed her directorial prowess as Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling carried the movie forward. However, a cementing point in the movie and one that has earned it admiration all over stands out as a monologue delivered meticulously by America Ferrera.

While a rain of awards, recognition, and praises flew in soon after to congratulate her long before an Oscar nod, she may have already had her runaway moment years before the movie came to inception.

America Ferrera reveals a moment from her life that felt like winning an Oscar years before Barbie

“It is literally impossible to be a woman,” America Ferrera addressed in Barbie in a speech that summed up all the prejudice and judgment womankind has and still gets subjected to. The monologue earned her acclaim as well as a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar 2024 nomination. However, in talks with Awards Chatter on a February 22 podcast, the actress described a moment from her early life when “winning first place at the festival in middle school felt like winning an Academy Award”.

The Ugly Betty actress referred to the time as a public school kid when enrolled in the community theater. As part of the Drama Teachers Association, or Fall or Shakespeare festivals, students would act for a 10-minute play and some would direct the entirety of it. Ferrera opted for a four-member play on William Shakespeare’s Othello and won first place for the same. The win gave her enough momentum and confidence to feel on top of the world and as if she had just won an Oscar.

As the Barbie team celebrates the possibility of America Ferrera winning an Oscar, many stood dejected by key snubs.

Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie sit out the 2024 Academy Awards nominations

America Ferrera and Ryan Gosling stand out as the only members of the Barbie star cast to get through with a nomination at the 2024 Oscars. Announced in January 2024, the nominees list left out Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie from a Best Director and a Best Actress nod, respectively, contrary to popular opinion in what many have labeled as one key snub in the Awards history.

Released on the same date, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, however, treaded far ahead with thirteen nominations against the eight of Barbie, counting two in the Original Song category. However, with Robbie also producing the film, any win at the 2024 Oscars may well come across as a win for her in a movie that resonated with the voices of billions of women.

What are your thoughts on America Ferrera having her sort-of Oscars moment before Barbie? Let us know in the comments below.