(CNN) – While there was some doubt that some overlooked candidates weren't nominated for the Oscars on Tuesday morning for the film “Barbie,” America Ferrera's wonderfully unexpected nomination for Best Supporting Actress is definitely something to watch. Reason to celebrate.
“I am amazed and deeply moved to be nominated among the brilliant artists who have created beautiful and important works this year,” Ferrera said in a statement sent to CNN later Tuesday.
Their statement continued: “I am very proud to join my other Latino nominees in bringing Latino representation to this year’s Academy Awards. May the diversity of voices recognized by the Academy continue to grow!” (Latiné is a gender-neutral identifier used in the Latin American LGBTQ+ community, similar to “Latinx.”)
Born in the United States to parents who emigrated from Honduras, Ferrera was one of three people of color nominated in the supporting actress category, along with Da'Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers and Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple .
America Ferrera in “Barbie.” Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Emily Blunt of “Oppenheimer” and Jodie Foster of “Nyad” round out the nomination category. This is Ferrera's first Oscar nomination.
The “Ugly Betty” star delivered one of the most powerful movie monologues of the year as her “Barbie” character Gloria gave a passionate feminist speech about the very relatable and contradictory expectations of being a woman.
His recognition this Tuesday is just further evidence that his message resonated beyond the mass audience that saw the film, which was the highest-grossing domestic film of 2023, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide.
“I am thrilled to celebrate my phenomenal Barbie family and all of their accomplishments,” said Ferrera, adding that director Greta Gerwig and producer and star Margot Robbie “made history and raised the bar with Barbie.”
Gerwig was nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category and Robbie was nominated in the Best Picture category as the film's producer. But to the dismay of many, they received no nominations in the Best Director or Best Actress categories.
However, their contribution to the enormous global success of “Barbie” has not gone unnoticed by Ferrera, who said Tuesday that “the cultural and industrial impact they have made will be felt for generations.”
“I’m very grateful to them for asking me to be a part of it,” she added.