America Ferrera on Getting “Barbie” Praise from Her Idol Tom Hanks: 'I Can Tap Out Now'

While attending the SBIFF Virtuosos Awards, the actress said she "wanted to be Tom Hanks more than any other actor"

America Ferrera is still buzzing over praise she received from Tom Hanks!

Speaking with correspondent Dave Karger at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Virtuosos Awards on Saturday, the 39-year-old Barbie actress opened up about a moment when Hanks, 67, gave her props for her recent performance.

"I don't know that I'm ready to talk about it. I'm not ready to talk about what he said, but I guess whenever anyone asks me, who were the actors you grew up wanting to be? I'd say Tom Hanks," Ferrera said.

"I wanted to be Tom Hanks more than any other actor. I did. He's every man. He's like, we all see ourselves in him, right?"

Related: America Ferrera Says Her Traveling Pants Costars FaceTimed Her 'as a Group' After Barbie Oscar Nomination

While emphasizing that she was "not going to cry" onstage, Ferrera detailed how her interaction with Hanks went down.

"He came up to me at an event and he said very nice things to me and I'm still recovering from it, and that was truly the moment where I felt like … 'Okay, I'm happy, I can tap out now,' " she recalled. "Tom Hanks just said nice things to me."

Related: Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Martin Short and Eugene Levy Enjoy Group Dinner Together in Santa Monica

For her role in Barbie, Ferrera earned an Oscar nod in the Best Supporting Actress category. She was among 10 actors this year who earned their first-ever nominations for the March 10 ceremony.

As for those who helped celebrate the actress after her latest achievement, she told Variety that her costars from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies — Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel — all called her with congratulatory messages.

"They FaceTimed me as a group right away. It’s wonderful to be celebrated and held up by these women who I’ve had the honor of growing up with in the industry," she said, adding, "Every moment feels like another unbelievable pinch-me moment."

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Among the other people who helped Ferrera celebrate her Academy Award nomination were her husband, Ryan Piers Williams, and their children, Sebastian and Lucia.

"My publicist got to me first. And then my husband called me from the car as he was driving our kids to school," Ferrera told Variety. "He was screaming and emotional. I heard my kids in the back seat, like, 'What are you screaming about?' "

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