A year ago, when America Ferrera was moving out of her apartment, she tried to sell her furniture on Craigslist. But after she posted her cell phone number on the site along with her sister’s name, dozens of people stopped by her house; an item appeared in US Weekly; and her publicist called to admonish her. “She said something like, ‘Did you really try to sell your furniture on Craigslist?!’�? recalls the star.OK, maybe Ferrera can’t do everything a regular gal can do anymore, but you’d never know it. When the 23-year-old actress arrives at a Los Angeles bistro for her Glamour interview, she is dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans, no oversize sunglasses in sight. Later on, she’s planning to “veg on the couch�? with her longtime boyfriend, aspiring filmmaker Ryan Piers Williams. For Ferrera, staying grounded comes easy: When she was growing up—as one of six kids being raised by a single mom—there was no room for diva behavior. When she announced that she wanted to be an actress, her brother rolled his eyes.

GLAMOUR: So 11 Emmy nominations for Ugly Betty, two new films in the works. You’re huge! AMERICA FERRERA: I feel like the stars have aligned in my favor—maybe I was good in a past life! What’s crazy is that when opportunities to work come along, they are countered by just as many opportunities to piss it all away. It’s like, “Congratulations, now we’re going to tempt you with every distraction possible. We’ll fly you to Vegas in a private jet, put you up in a five-star hotel….�? Thank God I’m too busy to say yes. If this is my chance, I’d hate to look back and say I sacrificed it for partying.

GLAMOUR: Can you remember the first time you were followed by paparazzi?

AF: Yes, I was in New York City doing The View with Salma Hayek; it was the day Ugly Betty premiered. After the show I got chased by a paparazzo on a motorcycle for an hour. I remember thinking, Oh my God, this is crazy, they already care about me! When I finally got out of the car, the paparazzo yelled, “I thought I was following Salma Hayek!�? Then he got back on his motorcycle and left. I thought, OK—that puts things into perspective.

GLAMOUR: How about walking the red carpet—love it or hate it?

AF: Personally, I hate it. You are expected to conform to every single expectation. People will say, “Try as hard as you can not to sweat on the red carpet.�? Meanwhile you are super nervous, and there are tons of camera flashes, and people are screaming your name. It’s not fun—not for me, at least!