America Ferrera as betty

America Ferrera

In Ugly Betty, America Ferrera is TV’s most unlikely hero. As Betty Suarez, the Emmy-winning actress plays a geeky assistant trying to succeed in the world of high fashion. In the hit show’s second season, the adorably awkward Betty finds a new love, battles old enemies and discovers hidden talents. Born to Honduran parents and the youngest of six siblings, Ferrera is best known for her breakout performance in the indie hit, Real Women Have Curves. Since then, her career has taken off with film roles in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants and Lords of Dogtown. She was included in Time Magazine’s 2007 list of “100 Most Influential People in the World.” A chat…

Betty has a very unique sense of style. What do you think fashion means to Betty?

For Betty, fashion is just an extension of her personality. It’s not about trying to fit into something or putting something on that’s not really who she is. It’s about expressing what’s inside through what she’s wearing. I have a lot of fun wearing her clothes because there’s something about this character that I always felt was just a notch away from being a genius fashionista! (Laughs)

Who came up with these styles?

The pilot was designed by Patricia Fields, who is a genius and did all the Sex and the City wardrobes. She dressed Carrie Bradshaw [Sarah Jessica Parker] in the craziest clothes and somehow made it hot, real and trendy. With Pat, I felt like it didn’t matter how tacky the outfits were, because our intention was that whatever Betty wore, she made it cool with her personality. Betty’s style is not beautiful in the traditional sense like everyone else in the office who is wearing Prada from head to toe. But it’s beautiful in the sense that it reflects who she is as a person. Everyone else is just really trying to blend in and be invisible, while she’s popping out in every frame.

Are you into fashion yourself?

No, not really (laughs). I mean, I love dressing up. I love feeling pretty and getting to play different roles. I’ve also been able to try a lot of different styles on magazine shoots. When I see myself on the cover of a magazine, it feels just as much of a character to me as Betty. They’re both extreme versions of who I really am. So it’s fun to get dressed up as Betty and it’s fun to get dressed up for the red carpet, but they don’t reflect who I am. As an actress, it’s fun to explore different aspects of myself but I’m very aware that they’re both roles that I’m playing.

You may not be into fashion but what is the favourite thing in your wardrobe?

I guess the easiest thing to shop for is shoes, right? You don’t have to take anything off to try them on! Plus, you know your size. And your feet are generally not the most embarrassing part of your body, so I guess my favourite things are my shoes.

The original Ugly Betty was a huge hit on Colombian television. When the show ended, the actress who played Betty [Ana María Orozco] was forever typecast in that role. Do you ever worry that will happen to you?

I guess I could allow myself to feel that fear, but I don’t. There are other opportunities that are opening, but I don’t want to sell this experience short. Betty is such a special role for me, and I want to embrace every second of it because when it’s done, it’s done. And who knows? Maybe I’ll never get a job like this again. But hopefully that will not be the case. I think that I just need to keep focusing on making the work that I’m doing special. The nature of the character is really helpful, too, because Betty will grow and change. As an actor, it will be a challenge for me to take Betty from where she was in the first episode to where she’s going to end up. The character will change in the audience’s eyes, and I’ll get to play a whole range of emotions.

Your show deals very openly with gay issues. Do you think the show is breaking new ground?

I think people are just happy to see a conversation about the issue. Of course, there’s not one experience that encompasses everything. You’re never going to get it exactly right, and because it’s television, it’s going to be a little dramatised. But I think just the fact that it’s being spoken about, it’s created an open dialogue. We’ve got some amazing letters about Michael [Urie’s] character, Mark, when he came out to his mother. There was an e-mail from a kid who said he was 16 years old and he was watching the show with his mum. In the episode, Mark’s mother does not take the news very well and she is not loving or supportive. This viewer then came out to his mother then and there, and it changed his life. So you get something that’s so beautiful like that, and then you get letters from people who say things like, ‘You’re teaching children how to be gay. And this is unacceptable.’ We live in a country where people have the right to their opinion and we don’t even really have to pick sides. All you have to do is tell a story about something that is real, and it’s going to create controversy.

If you were allowed to add your own ideas to the show, what would you do?

We actually have a really collaborative team. And the writers are always very open to our suggestions. The writing is the foundation which gives us the freedom to experiment and add things on set. So much of the stuff that ends up on the show comes from the natural chemistry of our cast and how we interact with one another. It’s so much fun to see our own ideas come to fruition on the screen.

There are some exciting guest stars this season, like Victoria Beckham and Jason Alexander? What’s it been like?

We’re really lucky to have all these amazing actors who are big fans of the show. It always brings new life to the show when we have someone as a guest star who get to play themselves, like Posh Spice.

We understand you also share a scene with the original Betty from Colombia? Did you share any ‘Betty’ tips?

She is probably the only other person in the world who knows what it feels like to be Betty. So we did talk about that and share tips with each other. I would ask her things like, ‘How do you wear your braces?’ (laughs). But we mainly talked about the trials and tribulations of being Betty.