America Ferrera and Lance Gross in "Our Family Wedding."

LOS ANGELES - When a series gets cancelled, it's rarely pretty. Plot lines are left dangling. Character development is unresolved. And cast and crew members discover themselves abruptly out of work with little warning.

So while the axing of Ugly Betty is bittersweet for its star America Ferrera, she's nevertheless relieved the show's producers and writers were able to prepare for its April 14 finale.

"I'm grateful we had enough notice to write for that. My biggest fear from the beginning of this was not knowing when (it was going to end)," she says in a Beverly Hills hotel suite during interviews to promote the new movie Our Family Wedding.

"It's hard when it's a story about transformation -- not just physical transformation -- but where she's going to go in her life. This is a story about coming into something and achieving dreams. My biggest fear was that we'd never get a chance (to show that). I think the whole season has been about her into coming into herself. We've been having this conversation for four years. Since Season 1, we've been asking ourselves 'Where are we going with this? What's the point of this? What do you see the last moment of this show being?'

"I've never shied away from that conversation and I'm very satisfied with how it's ending."

And it's likely Ferrera, 25, will be feeling the impact of Ugly Betty long after it's faded to black. After all, the breakout role of braces-wearing fashion magazine misfit Betty Suarez won her both accolades -- including an Emmy and a Golden Globe -- and stardom.

"It was a near flawless experience in my life. And it's been a part of my life for the duration of my adulthood," she says.

"I love the cast. They're like family to me. I feel like they'll be part of my life forever. The creative people -- the producers, the directors -- have watched me grow up. And I'll miss Betty. I love the character and I love playing her. She's so much fun. I love the group of writers that have let me be part of her voice. I'm always excited to get a script and think, 'Where's Betty going now?' There's so much I'm going to miss about the show. I'm a fan of the show. It's had it's ups and downs creatively, but I'm so happy with this season and where we're going this season."

Before the series ends, Ferrera will first be seen on the big screen starting Friday, co-starring with Forest Whitaker in the comedy Our Family Wedding, about the culture clash that ensues when a young interracial couple (she's Mexican-American, he's African-American) announce they're getting married.

Later this month, she'll supply one of the voices in the 3D animated adventure How to Train Your Dragon with Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler. And she stars in and executive produced The Dry Land, a war drama directed by her longtime boyfriend Ryan Piers Williams that premiered at this year's Sundance film festival.

(Not on the horizon, apparently, is another sequel to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. "I don't think so. There were four books and basically the second movie went to the end of the fourth book.")

If she is looking forward to new opportunities, Ferrera underscores that she is not rushing them.

"I would've never imagined a character (like Betty) would come along that would make me want to do television because the schedule is intense and grueling ... I don't feel like I have to rush into anything.

"When a lot of things are ending at the same time it feels like a natural cycle. It feels like, 'OK, new chapter, let's do it and move on.' "

FERRERA IN NO RUSH TO RACE TO THE ALTAR

Wedding bells won't be ringing for America Ferrera anytime soon.

"Planning a wedding, the thought of it gives me hives. Weddings are about other people," she says. "And it's funny to be at a wedding because someone else has done all the work."

Does that mean she'll elope? She doesn't rule it out, but acknowledges it's easier said than done.

"You say that and you never know how it will actually be when it comes around."

The topic is a germane one, because her new comedy Our Family Wedding focuses on the tensions that explode between future in-laws when an interracial couple -- played by Ferrera and Lance Gross -- announce their engagement.

Off-screen, Ferrera's boyfriend is director Ryan Piers Williams. But just because he's Caucasian doesn't mean she can necessarily relate to her Wedding character's plight.

"I grew up in a very diverse community. The neighbourhood I grew up was predominantly white, but it was a public school so the student body had every race, colour and religion.

"I had friends from all those backgrounds, so walking into their homes felt like walking into my home. Racism feels so dated to me."