America Ferrera has certainly had an exciting time recently, thanks to her standout performance in the Barbie movie. That role even got her first Academy Award nomination. She has not been alone at these big events. Throughout all the red carpets and award shows Ferrera has had one person right by her side: her husband Ryan Piers Williams. It is a sweet picture of support.
This couple first met back in 2005. They were working on a short film together called Muertas. This was years before they got married in New York City. Long before Williams, who is an actor a producer a director and a screenwriter himself, made a funny guest appearance in Barbie as Ferrera’s husband in the movie. I think it is great that they get to work together and share these moments.
Ryan Piers Williams has many Hollywood connections. He has been in films like Blues Tomorrow Comes Today and 1985. He also played Ferrera’s husband and Sasha’s father in the Barbie movie. Beyond acting Williams is a writer a director and a producer. He did all three for the short film Muertas and the drama X/Y. He also wrote and directed The Dry Land and produced Kilimanjaro. It is clear he is a creative person. He also has a talent for painting. He often shares colorful and abstract art on his Instagram. It seems like a very busy creative household.
America Ferrera's Husband Ryan Piers Williams: A Look At His Creative Work And Family Life
How Their Hollywood Collaborations Began And Their Journey As Parents
Ferrera and Williams have worked together many times. They first met when Williams was casting for Muertas in 2005. Ferrera was finishing her degree at the University of Southern California at the time. She got the role of Rebecca in that film. Ferrera ended up leaving USC to follow her acting career but she did finish her bachelor's degree later in 2013. This shows real dedication.
While working on Muertas the pair started dating. They worked together again in 2010 on The Dry Land. Then in 2014 they collaborated on X/Y. Williams wanted to be a filmmaker from a young age. He studied film at the University of Texas at Austin before moving to USC. He told USC's Cinematic Arts department that he wanted to be a director since he was 13. He was in theater and video production classes in middle and high school. He would write shoot and edit news stories for his school every day. He also acted in plays. He loved journalism and storytelling. He decided filmmaking was the best of both worlds. I think that explains why he is so skilled at so many things in Hollywood.
After being together for five years Williams and Ferrera got married in 2011. They had a small ceremony in Chappaqua New York. The wedding was held at the home of Ferrera’s Ugly Betty co-star Vanessa Williams. Ferrera wore a dress from Amsale’s Christos label and Fred Leighton earrings. Some celebrity guests included Vanessa Williams Rebecca Romijn and her husband Jerry O’Connell and Blake Lively. Lively is Ferrera’s long-time friend and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-star. The Knot even reported that Judith Light was the officiant. That is quite a guest list for an intimate wedding.
A few years later Ferrera and Williams welcomed their first child. Their son Sebastian arrived in May 2018. Ferrera shared the news on Instagram with a post that has since been deleted. It said "When 2 becomes 3 Welcome Sebastian Piers Williams – aka Baz! Mom Dad and Baby are happy healthy and totally in love!" Just two years later in 2020 the couple welcomed a daughter Lucia. Ferrera shared another excited post writing "LUCIA MARISOL WILLIAMS arrived on May 4th to give me my Mother’s Day hugs and kisses herself. Mama Dada & Big Brother are over the moon to welcome her bright light to our family." They seem to have built a wonderful family together.
America Ferrera's Enduring Friendships And Iconic Roles Beyond Barbie
From Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants To Ugly Betty And Her Voice Acting Work
Beyond her family life Ferrera has many enduring friendships especially with her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars. The director Ken Kwapis told Entertainment Weekly that to make the friendship feel real on screen he made the stars live out the iconic jeans scene before filming. The movie was about four teen girls who were best friends since birth. Kwapis knew the biggest challenge would be getting the actors to seem like lifelong friends since they had never met. He felt fans would be surprised to know they were strangers. But they quickly created a sense of a lifelong friendship.
Kwapis had a short rehearsal period. He came up with exercises to help them bond. He gave each of the four actors $75. He told them to go to a thrift store in Vancouver where they were shooting. Their job was to buy something in character and tell the others what to buy. The director laughed as he tried to remember what each actor bought or if anyone bought jeans. He said the actors came back and reported it was a remarkable bonding experience. They developed a great shorthand that helped them in their scenes together. I think this is a fantastic story and it clearly worked. The director never questioned how one pair of jeans could fit four different bodies. He felt it made sense for the story. He tried to make it look as natural as possible with some movie magic not fancy effects.
That scene was important because it showed the close friendship between the four girls. It was also one of the few times all four girls were together in one scene. Kwapis said it was important for him and the audience to feel they were best friends right away. He feels happy that they have remained close friends in real life. Kwapis is very proud of the film. He has kept in touch with the cast over the years. He finds it very satisfying that it has become an important movie for women. Everyone involved sensed a chance to make a film that treated these characters with love and respect. This goes back to Ann Brashares and what she created. The filmmakers tried to honor what fans of the book loved about it. I think they did a great job of it.
Ferrera's acting journey began early. She appeared in her elementary school's production of Hamlet at age seven. She continued acting in school plays and community theater. While in high school she got her first on-screen role in Disney Channel’s Gotta Kick It Up! in 2002. That same year she was cast in Real Women Have Curves. This role is considered her breakthrough. She won the Special Jury Prize for acting at the Sundance Film Festival. This shows her talent from a very young age.
In 2006 Ferrera took on the starring role of Betty Suarez in the TV series Ugly Betty. This show was a huge hit and Ferrera was praised for her performance. She became the first Latina and the youngest person at 23 to win an Emmy Award for best lead actress in a comedy series. She also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for best actress in a comedy in 2007. During Ugly Betty’s four seasons Ferrera also worked on films like Towards Darkness and Our Family Wedding. She also provided the voice for Astrid in the animated film How to Train Your Dragon in 2010. She continued this role in TV series and film sequels for many years. She later starred in the popular sitcom Superstore from 2015 to 2021. She even directed several episodes. The show has been called one of television’s best shows about American life in the 2010s. Ferrera has also co-founded HARNESS to support women’s rights gender equality immigration reform racial justice and environmental conservation. She is truly an inspiring figure.