America Ferrera on Difference Between ‘Ugly Betty’ and ‘Superstore’ Characters | Comedy Actress Roundtable

“Betty, you could throw anything at her, you can shit on her and she’d just smile and keep going, and that was easy for me to play especially as a 20-something-year-old, who knew that my role as a woman was to make people like me,” America Ferrera told The Hollywood Reporter during the Comedy Actress Roundtable while comparing her breakout role to her current role on Superstore.

[readmore:1012837]

“My personal success, as much as I wish that equated to a certain broader success and more opportunities for more Latino characters, that’s not always necessarily the case,” Ferrera told THR. “Fortunately for me, I’ve established myself to a certain degree, so I’m so lucky that I now get considered outside the box of Latina.”

“That’s not to say I don’t think there hasn’t been progress,” the actress continued. “There’s been progress, but if we don’t get in the positions of power, if we can’t tell our stories, if we can’t write and direct and produce our stories authentically, then those roles and those opportunities that feel new and fresh aren’t going to come.”

More roundtables featuring comedy and drama actresses, actors, showrunners and reality creators will continue through July in print and online. Tune in to new episodes of Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter starting May 25 on Sundance TV, and look for clips at THR.com/topic/roundtables with full episodes on THR.com after broadcast.