Ferrera: 'School Taught Me What Being Ugly Betty Is Like'

Actress America Ferrera immediately identified with her part as a victimised secretary in US TV hit Ugly Betty, because she grew up feeling like an outcast herself.

In the programme, the 22-year-old plays a frumpy New York City girl who manages to get a job in the fashion industry, despite coming from a working class background in Queens.

And Ferrera had a similar experience when she went to school.

She says, "I went to school with wealthy kids. I was not one of them and didn't feel like I belonged with the other Latina girls either.

"I felt like I went home and lived in one world, then went to school and lived in a different one. That feeling of being caught between two cultures and not fitting in was a big part of my life and defined who I am."