From the Magazine Digital Covers America Ferrera Reveals She Performed Her Epic 'Barbie' Speech '30 to 50 Times' on Set The actress said that Ariana Greenblatt — who plays her on-screen daughter in the film — "had memorized it because that's how many times I had said it" By Bailey Richards Bailey Richards Bailey Richards is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023 and interned with the brand in 2022. Her work has previously appeared in digital publications like Paper Magazine and TV Insider. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 24, 2023 12:18PM EDT America Ferrera as Mattel employee Gloria in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie.". Photo: Warner Bros America Ferrera’s Barbie monologue was no small feat. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the Barbie star, 39, opened up about taking on the epic speech and how it became one of the hit film’s most memorable and talked-about moments. The speech is, in the actress’s words, about the “impossible assignment” modern women face, “being all things to all people.” America Ferrera Says No One Told Her the ‘Barbie’ Sleepover Had a ‘Sexy’ Dress Code — and She Wore ‘Grandma’ PJs Ferrera, who plays Gloria, a Mattel employee from the real world — not Barbie Land — in the record-breaking film, told VF that it was “amazing” to hear about the moving responses audiences had to the monologue. She said the emotional speech “felt like pressure in the nicest way” when she first stepped into the world of Barbie. “It's one of the first things Greta mentioned to me even before I read the script,” she told the outlet. “She said, ‘I wrote this monologue for Gloria, and I've always imagined you saying this.'" "Barbie" stars America Ferrera, Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig at the movie's South Korea premiere in July. Han Myung-Gu/WireImage 'Barbie' Breaks Box Office Record for Female Director with $155M; 'Oppenheimer' Smashes Expectations She continued, “I read the monologue and it hit me as powerful and meaningful. It also felt like, ‘Wow, what a gift as an actor to get to deliver something that feels so cathartic and truthful.’ But it also felt like this pivotal moment that I obviously didn't want to mess up.” “There was a little bit of healthy pressure around it,” she added. The Ugly Betty star shared that she “initially felt” the monologue would not end up as “straightforward and real” as it did in the film. "I assumed that there might be a tone that maybe made it, I don't know, I guess easier for people to hear or to swallow,” she told VF. “Greta really didn't want that. She wanted it to just sound like the truth.” Amy Schumer Says She 'Really Enjoyed' 'Barbie' Years After Dropping Out of Role for Creative Differences To relay this truth to audiences, Ferrera said it took what “felt like 500” takes in two days — but she is “sure it wasn't.” Realistically, the actress said, “it was probably 30 to 50 full runs of it, top to bottom.” On-screen mother-daughter duo Sasha and Gloria (Ariana Greenblatt and America Ferrera) in "Barbie.". Warner Bros When they wrapped the final take, Ariana Greenblatt, who portrays her daughter Sasha in the film, could recite the monologue herself, Ferrera said: "She had memorized it because that's how many times I had said it." 'Barbie' Breaks Box Office Record for Female Director with $155M; 'Oppenheimer' Smashes Expectations Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. America Ferrera, who stars in "Barbie" as Mattel employee Gloria, at the Mexico premiere of the film. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The Greta Gerwig-directed film came out on top at the box office over the weekend, scoring $155 million in its opening run and marking the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman. Margot Robbie on Not Kissing Ryan Gosling in 'Barbie': 'My Girlfriends Were Like, What's Wrong with You?' (Exclusive) Barbie is now playing in theaters.