In the time America Ferrera has had off from her TV series “Ugly Betty,” the 23-year-old actress has taken on serious subject matter.
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In “Under the Same Moon,” opening Wednesday in Chicago, she plays a second- or third-generation Hispanic-American who can’t speak Spanish but resorts to smuggling to pay for college tuition.
She’s also starring in and serving as executive producer for the Spanish-language drama “Towards Darkness,” written and directed by Antonio Negret, that is set to open later this year. The film depicts a harrowing kidnapping in Colombia and the hours that then unfold for the captors and captured.
“As an actor, you’re on screen and you have power about what gets translated there,” she says. “But as a producer, you have the power to actually shape a story and character, and that is so rewarding.”
Ferrera says she is looking forward to working again in Spanish, though her next feature project is this summer’s upbeat sequel to “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”
“What keeps me fulfilled is getting to do all the things I care about,” Ferrera says. “It’s wonderful to go back and forth between the things that are fun, and the things that are important and fun.”
Under The Same Moon (La Misma Luna) (PG-13)
RATING: 3 EXCLAMATION POINTS
Who’s in it: Adrian Alonso, Kate Del Castillo, America Ferrera
What it’s about: A determined Mexican boy makes an obstacle-laden journey to reconnect with his mother, who is toiling in L.A. as a maid.
Worth watching?: “Patricia Riggen’s rousing feature-directing debut is so assured as to make an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink scenario look like a gold mine of storytelling riches.”
[JAN STUART, NEWSDAY]