America Ferrera's My London

'Brick Lane feels vaguely reminiscent of Brooklyn with an old-world feel'

10 April 2012

Where do you stay in London?
I like the Rookery hotel in Farringdon because it has a Dickensian feel. While I was rehearsing for Chicago, I spent a couple of weeks at St Martins Lane hotel, which is great because it's right in the heart of everything.

What advice would you give a tourist coming to London?
Put your walking shoes on, set off without any plan and don't be afraid of getting lost.

What's the first thing you do when you come to London?
Sleep off my jet lag.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
Bangers and mash at 2 Brydges Place, a club in Covent Garden. It was very quaint and traditional.

Which London outlets do you rely on?
I like hanging out at Notes, a coffee shop behind the Garrick. I might pop in for a latte before the show, or sit and read the paper during the day. I like City Spice on Brick Lane for the excellent curry. I've only just discovered Brick Lane - it feels vaguely reminiscent of Brooklyn, withan old-world feel.

Do you have a recurring dream?
No, but my childhood home often appears in my dreams.

What's your biggest extravagance?
I love to sleep a lot; it's almost embarrassing. My guilty pleasure is to spend an entire day
in my pyjamas.

What was the last play you saw in London?
Private Lives at the Vaudeville Theatre. I loved watching Kim Cattrall on stage, she was wonderful.

If you could live in any building in London, which would it be?
I'd make Buckingham Palace my London pad.

What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?
Introduce rules about which side of the pavement people should walk on. In NYC there's a very clear rule that you walk on the right-hand side of the sidewalk and it makes for clean pedestrian traffic.

What's your earliest London memory?
I first came to London for work when I was 18 and I remember having tea and sandwiches in the hotel lobby as soon as we arrived. I also saw my first West End show, This is Our Youth, at the Garrick, which is where I'm performing now, funnily enough.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?
'Every experience will come to an end so enjoy it while you have it and be as present as possible.' I'm trying to apply this to my time in London.

Which animal would you most like to be?
My golden retriever Buddy because he's very spoilt and gets a lot of love.

What are your favourite London discoveries?
I've never seen so many small arthouse cinemas. I think there are more here than in New York, which is shameful for New York. I like the Everyman on Baker Street and the Curzon has a fun café.

What do you most like wearing?
Scarves. I find them very comforting and I like that I have a reason to wear them in London.

What are you up to at the moment?
I'm doing eight shows a week as Roxie Hart in Chicago. We work six days a week, so on Sundays I don't like to plan anything. Doing Chicago has been a little scary at times but I'm enjoying it.

Where did you last go abroad?
I went to Calcutta for eight days to shoot a documentary, which was an incredible experience. Before that I went to the Krakow Film Festival, which was awesome.

What was the last album you downloaded?
I'm a cheat when it comes to music: I usually download my friends' playlists. For the past couple of months I've been focused on the show so I've had the Chicago soundtrack on repeat.

Who's your hero?
I was in love with Bette Midler when I was a child. I was obsessed with the movie Gypsy - it was one of the first musicals I saw.