America Ferrera dismisses criticism that her 'Barbie' monologue is oversimplified: 'A lot of people need Feminism 101'

• America Ferrera doesn't think her speech in "Barbie" is an "oversimplification" of feminism.
• The speech sees Ferrera's character lay out the paradoxical demands women face in the modern world.

America Ferrera has spoken out against criticism that her scene-stealing monologue in "Barbie" is an "oversimplification" of feminism.

In an interview with The New York Times published Monday, the Golden Globe winner addressed the mixed reaction to her character Gloria's speech about the paradoxical demands women face in the Greta Gerwig-directed film.

"We can know things and still need to hear them out loud. It can still be a cathartic. There are a lot of people who need Feminism 101, whole generations of girls who are just coming up now and who don't have words for the culture that they're being raised in," Ferrera said.

"Also, boys and men who may have never spent any time thinking about feminist theory," she added.

"If you are well-versed in feminism, then it might seem like an oversimplification, but there are entire countries that banned this film for a reason," the actor went on. "To say that something that is maybe foundational, or, in some people's view, basic feminism isn't needed is an oversimplification."

"Assuming that everybody is on the same level of knowing and understanding the experience of womanhood is an oversimplification," Ferrera concluded.

While the speech was lauded by fans who resonated with and were moved by Gloria's articulation of why it's "impossible to be a woman," some naysayers labeled it "basic" and "textbook white feminism."

Ferrera also said that the contents of the speech "evolved a little bit" as it moved from script to screen.

The original speech was written by Gerwig and cowriter Noah Baumbach, but when it came to filming the scene, Gerwig was keen to get Ferrera's perspective.

"Greta asked me, 'Why don't you just tell me what you would say? Write it in your own words. What would you add?'" Ferrera recalled.

"Some of what we talked about made it into the script. The line, 'Always be grateful' came out of that conversation with Greta. She expounded on it adding, 'But never forget that the system is rigged.' There were many versions that we did. We ended in tears. It ended in laughter, it got big, it got small, and I was able to do that because I really trusted Greta to know what would be right for the film."

In an interview with Vanity Fair last year, Ferrera shared that the monologue was filmed over two days, and she shot "probably 30 to 50 full runs of it, top to bottom."

"Barbie" was the highest-grossing movie of 2023.