Ferrera's bad Spanish costs her movie role

America Ferrera

Ugly Betty star America Ferrera missed out on a bigger role in new movie Under The Same Moon - because she couldn't speak Spanish.

The Latina plays an English-speaking Mexican, smuggling kids into America, but her part could have been much more substantial.

Director Patricia Riggen explains, "I wanted to cast her in a bigger role who was a friend of the mother in the film.

"She was a big funny character, but she doesn't speak Spanish and it's really hard to do phonetically."