America Ferrera's Husband Ryan Piers Williams Joins Her at the 2024 Oscars
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In the Barbie movie, America Ferrera plays the scene-stealing Gloria, a disillusioned Mattel employee who helps Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) on her journey. As she and daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) venture to Barbieland, Sasha asks her mom, "What about Dad? We can't just leave him." Gloria replies, "He'll be fine," to which Sasha quickly agrees, "Yeah, yeah he'll be fine."A quick cut to him shows him totally fine, on his phone learning Spanish with Duolingo.
This man (who doesn't get a name, he's only credited as "El Esposo de Gloria," or Gloria's spouse or husband) is played by none other than America Ferrera's actual husband, Ryan Piers Williams!
Here's everything you need to know about Ryan—or should we call him "El Esposo de America"?
Williams is from Texas.
He grew up in El Paso Texas, where he attended J.M. Hanks High School. From there, he studied film at University of Texas at Austin before transferring to University of Southern California his junior year, where he was a student in the School of Cinematic Arts.
At USC, he met America Ferrera—she was class of '03, and he was class of '05. He cast her in a student film, and the rest, as they say, is history: They've been together since June 2005. In an anniversary post, Ferrera said their "first 9-hour-meeting" was "over enchiladas & refried beans." Love at first sight!
"We kind of connected from the get-go on that professional level and that was something that really drew us to each other," Ferrera told People.
He's a writer, director, and artist.
As you may have guessed, he works in film. "I've wanted to be a director since I was 13," he said in 2010 interview. "When I was in middle and high school I was in theater and video production classes. Everyday I would write, shoot and edit news stories for our school as well as act in plays. I had a great love for journalism and for storytelling. Instead of choosing one over the other I decide that filmmaking would be the best of both worlds." His movies include The Dry Land (2010), which stars Ferrera, and Kilimanjaro (2013), and X/Y (2014).
On Instagram (@ryanpierswilliams), he describes himself as a visual artist, and recently, he has been sharing pieces he's made.
Williams proposed to Ferrera in June 2010.
They tied the knot a year later, in June 2011.
In an anniversary post from this past June, Ferrara wrote, "Happy Anniversary to my emergency contact. My person and home for 18 years. Damn we look young here."
He's a dad.
Williams and Ferrera have two kids: son Sebastian "Baz" Piers, 5, and daughter Lucia Marisol, 3. The two don't share any photographs of their children on social media.
He appeared in Barbie.
He has a brief cameo in Barbie, featuring in two scenes. In addition to the aforementioned scene, he appears at the end with Gloria and Sasha as they drive Barbie/Barbara to her gynecologist appointment. He tells her, "Sí, se puede!" which is immediately corrected by his daughter as a political slogan (it was coined by labor activist Dolores Huerta in the '70s). Real America Ferrera fans know it is also a reference to her Disney Channel Original Movie Gotta Kick It Up.
Posting a snap with Williams at the European premiere, Ferrera wrote on Instagram, "My favorite & forever Ken, you cute.💙🖤💕"
Williams and Ferrera were spotted on the picket line together.
"The energy was on fire today on the picket line in NYC! Proud to be in the fight for better contracts for my fellow SAG and WGA members!" Williams wrote on Instagram. Couples who picket together, stay together!
Williams is his wife's number one fan.
After Ferrera was nominated for an Oscar, Williams took the sweetest video of his wife reenacting her finding out the news. She posted it on Instagram:
He has been by her side throughout awards season, and joined her at the 2024 Oscars.
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