She recently departed her well-received NBC comedy Superstore after filming a short farewell arc at the start of its sixth and final season.
And now America Ferrera has opened up about what it has been like to work primarily at home throughout the pandemic while raising two young children with her husband Ryan Piers Williams, 39.
The 36-year-old actress told People that caring for her two-year-old son Sebastian and her seven-month-old daughter Lucia can be ‘overwhelming’ with all of her other responsibilities.
Working from home: America Ferrera opened up to People on Tuesday about how ‘overwhelming’ it has been to raise to young children while working from home ; seen with husband Ryan Piers Williams in February
‘Oh my goodness, it’s a world’s difference,’ she said of the changes the coronavirus pandemic has wrought.
‘Everything’s been so compounded by the pandemic and by quarantine, and truly not being able to have the extended network of family and friends that one would normally have when you bring a new baby home to hold the baby and give you a break or to help,’ she said.
Back when she was able to work on set, America would bring little Sebastain along with her.
‘My son went everywhere with me. I went back to work when he was only 10 weeks old and I would hand him to like a camera grip. I’d be like, “You hold him. I’ve got to go over here,”‘ she said.
Parenting on the job: Back when she was able to work on set, America would bring little Sebastian along with her. ‘I went back to work when he was only 10 weeks old and I would hand him to like a camera grip’
Separation anxiety: Her seven-month-old daughter Lucia ‘just bursts into tears’ when she sees ‘a new face’ after having been raised exclusively in quarantine
Things have been harder for America’s young daughter Lucia, who has had trouble adjusting to strangers and relatives after being closed off for her early months.
‘Whenever there is an occasion for a new face, she just bursts into tears. She doesn’t know what to do with new faces, so hopefully she’s young enough that this will all start to get better before it can really start to stick with her,’ the Emmy winner hoped.
Despite all the challenges the pandemic has created for her family, America was still grateful for the time together with her husband and children that she might not have otherwise had.
‘I could never have imagined that we would be growing the family in this circumstance, but it’s also been wonderful because it has forced us to to really just spend time as a family of four and really get our rhythm of just being our little family,’ she said.
‘As challenging as the year has been, I think there will be a lot of fond memories of this time of really having to slow down and take the time to be together and sink into family life.’
Making do: ‘I think there will be a lot of fond memories of this time of really having to slow down and take the time to be together and sink into family life,’ she said; seen in February
But when it’s time for her to get some work done, it can be difficult for America to find a quiet place away from the children, as they want to be around her whenever possible.
She joked that even if the kids only ‘smell’ her, ‘then it’s just, “Mommy mommy mommy,”‘ even if Ryan is available to care for them.
She and Ryan during their time at the University of Southern California, and they married in 2011 after getting engaged the prior year.
Though she has settled into a routine in quarantine, that doesn’t mean the Ugly Betty star is looking to expand her family further anytime soon.
‘This is not the year for big decisions. We’re going to get on the other side of this and then figure big life questions out,’ she said.
Saying goodbye: Earlier in December, NBC announced that America’s former series Superstore would be ending after the currently airing sixth season
Earlier in December, NBC announced that America’s former series Superstore would be ending after the currently airing sixth season.
America announced in February that she would be leaving the series, but the coronavirus pandemic prevented the series from filming the fifth season finale that would have given her character a proper farewell.
Instead, when shooting resumed amid the pandemic on the sixth season, she returned as a guest at the start of the season for a less-rushed exit.
The sixth and now finale season began airing in October and into November, and it will return in mid-January for its final 11 episodes.
More to come? It’s not clear if her announcement that she was departing in February may have hastened the well-reviewed show’s demise, though she left open the possibility of returning at the end
America told People she was ‘totally heartbroken’ over the news of Superstores cancellation, though it wasn’t clear if her early departure might have sealed its fate.
There’s at least a chance that fans will get to see her one last time before its over, though she couldn’t say much about the possibility.
‘We’re not ruling anything out, but I’m not allowed to say,’ she said.