The bangs and glasses may be different this year, but there's one thing still the same about 'Ugly Betty': the woman behind the wire-rimmed smile, America Ferrera.
Yes, in case you hadn't heard, television's icon of frumpiness has gotten a bit of a makeover this season to go along with her promotion from assistant to editor. For Ferrera, though, the change is just part of the character's natural growth. "She's been at a fashion magazine for three years," the actress told us recently. "You'd think she'd start picking things up."
So what else might Betty be picking up this year? AOL TV went right to the source to find out all the details about the much buzzed about makeover and what lays in store for the character as the fourth season unfolds.
Everybody's talking about the makeover that Betty is getting this year. What went into the decision to do that?
I think that from the very beginning this character has been set up to be a transformative character; she was always meant to grow into herself and into her skin. The point of the braces and the glasses and the crazy clothing is that this was all something that was on top of who she really is. Her spirit and her soul really go far beyond what you see. And that's the point of the title -- the irony of 'Ugly Betty' -- which is, this girl was never really ugly. In the fashion magazine world [maybe] she's "ugly", but there's a true person there and that person was always meant to come out. So I just feel like her growth has been very true ... She's not really becoming anything that's unrecognizable, it's just more of a natural progression. And the "makeover" isn't so much a makeover as it is her bangs have grown out and she's got a new pair of glasses.
What kind of feedback have you gotten about Betty's new look?
We've actually gotten really positive feedback about it. I think people have always been wondering, when's Betty going to start growing? She's been at a fashion magazine for three years, you'd think she'd start picking things up. I mean, I can tell you now that Betty's never going to be a supermodel, she's never going to be wearing an all-black Prada suit. But I've been getting wonderful feedback from the fans and felt like so much of wanting Betty to grow came from the fans as well.
And how much input did you have in terms of realizing that fan desire?
Well, it was definitely a collaboration. I think that Silvio and I -- Silvio [Horta] is the creator of the show -- always had so many conversations about it from the beginning, of how it would happen and when it would happen and it felt right. And we did have a lot of conversations about the speed with which it would happen or [how to get] her to what she's going to be like in the last episodes. Which I think we're constantly open to and have never really settled on, like, this is what we're getting to and it's got to be that. I think it's natural to where we both feel the character is going.
What else do you have in store for the viewers this season?
We have a lot of really fun things happening this season. I'm really excited about the storyline for Justin Suarez, Betty's nephew. He's growing up, the character's probably 15 or 16 now and we're really starting to address the questions that have been there about his character from the start. Which is, is he gay? Kind of all of these questions are being now dealt with at the right time. And so his storyline is very moving and heartfelt and touching this season. And we've got big fun episodes like the Bahamas with big guest stars like Shakira and Christie Brinkley, and you know, it's kind of really fun and exciting. But this season is really about growth and change for Betty and for all of the characters.
-- Scott Harris
