America Ferrera is feeling the love from fans of her role in Barbie, including her close friends and co-stars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Speaking with ET’s Denny Directo on the red carpet at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the 39-year-old actress said she feels “incredibly lucky” to have Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn and Blake Lively in her life, nearly two decades after the original film premiered.
“I mean, they’re my girls. I feel so incredibly lucky that I’ve had this sisterhood in real life because we all grew up together and we grew up in the same industry and we’ve all seen each other through so many life moments and career moments and ups and downs,” she tells ET.
“To have a friendship, 20 years later, that is really incredibly supportive and meaningful, it just feels like such a gift and I love them each so deeply, and there is something about like, when our forces combine,” the Superstore actress says.
The most recent reunion came in December when the four main actresses from the 2005 film joined forces to support Ferrera at a celebration of Barbie, which has received critical acclaim and significant Oscar buzz.
“💕The Sisterhood came through all in pink to celebrate my performance in Barbie last night. I love these women with all my heart.💕 #SisterhoodForever 👩❤️👩 🧳,” Ferrara wrote on Instagram at the time. The social media post included a short snippet of the four actresses posing together for an iconic selfie and embracing.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — which is the story of four friends who share one pair of pants that connect them throughout life — premiered on June 1, 2005. Its sequel was released on August 6, 2008. The four women have maintained a close friendship over the years.
As for the Barbie star, she tells ET she still has a hard time believing just how much people love the Sisterhood films, admitting that the reaction from the fans when they reunite catches her by surprise each time.
“I know, that’s so weird,” the Dumb Money actress says. “I just mean, like, our energy goes off the charts. When the four of us are in the same room, it’s like we’re back on the set of the first movie and we never stop talking over each other. Or, you know, it’s the exact same dynamic we started 20 years ago.”
As for hopes of a third installment to the franchise, Ferrera only said that she thinks it would be a “good idea” and perfect in honor of 20 years, adding on to what her co-stars have previously stated about another movie.
“We just pitched the third movie,” Bledel told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in 2018. “I really hope [we can do it]. I would love it. It would be the best thing.”
In 2022, Tamblyn revealed that the project is constantly in the works. However, the women all being mothers and having other projects in the works have added some complications. It’s unclear if any headway has been made in recent months.
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