America Ferrera on going public with her sexual assault story: ‘super traumatic'

Barbie star America Ferrera has opened up about the worst experience she had to go through while taking part in the Me Too movement in a new interview.

The actress went public with her sexual assault story in 2017.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, America discussed how her efforts to be part of a movement of female solidarity ended in a 'super traumatic' reaction from those close to her.

The actress, who stars in the new Barbie film alongside co-stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, joined the Me Too movement back in 2017 when she recounted the harrowing tale of being molested when she was nine years old.

Yet the 39-year-old has revealed she wasn't prepared for the backlash she received and she was left feeling 'really ashamed' for speaking out.

Speaking to Harper's Bazaar UK, she explained: 'I was so moved by the women who were speaking out, realising how much courage they had. [Telling my story] felt like an act of solidarity.'

But after she spoke out she received calls from those close to her saying she had done the wrong thing.

The Me Too movement emerged in 2017 after a number of allegations were made against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

'They were not happy. It was super traumatic. The hardest part was experiencing just how threatening it was to people. And it was so validating of why I had never said anything about it since I was nine years old.'

On the work front, the Ugly Betty actress is representing the modern woman through her role as Gloria in Barbie, despite confessing she was never a 'Barbie girl' growing up.