America Ferrera

America Ferrera

America Ferrera struggled to cope with her overnight fame - and felt like an "outsider" in Hollywood.

The 25-year-old actress was thrust into the public eye when the U.S. TV show became an instant hit in 2006.

Ferrera admits she found it difficult adjusting to life as a celebrity because she suddenly felt as though she was public property.

She says, "I've never spoken to a single person who knew how to handle Hollywood with ease. It's a different universe.

"You have to learn how to be yourself, but belong to so many other people at the same time and let them think what they want about you, but still know who you are. And I certainly have been in many situations where I felt like an outsider looking in.

"A big part of that had to do with not knowing who I was. Am I Latin? Am I American? Am I too white to be with Latin girls? Am I too Latin to be with the white girls? Where do I fit in?

"And so, that feeling of being the person on the outside trying to find a place in the world, I think, happens to me on a daily basis.

"You know, I think everyone knows what that feels like and that's what it was like when I was being introduced to this whole world of Hollywood."