Tonight, the Paley Center for Media in New York hosted an evening with the cast and crew of its hometown production, Ugly Betty.
Just over a week after the announcement of ABC's renewal of the series for a 4th season, the evening started with a screening of tomorrow night's episode -- which on the plus side features a beautiful, vibrantly colored Easter egg hunt scene, courtesy of production designer Mark Worthington, who was on the panel. Of course, because the network put the show on an unexpected hiatus in order to air sitcoms In the Motherhood and Samantha Who? (both of which have since been yanked), this is one helluva late Easter. And so, this episode -- the return of season 3, the first episode following that hiatus -- airs almost three weeks after the holiday. But never fear, because even late, this Betty is as fabulously funny as ever.
Also on the panel tonight, hosted by EW's Jessica Shaw, were series stars Vanessa Williams, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Becki Newton and Mark Indelicato, as well as creator/executive producer Silvio Horta, EP Richard Heus, Co-EP Victor Nelli, Jr., and the show's now-famous costume designer Patricia Field.
Among the inside scoop divulged tonight:
- Michael Urie's Mark, who has become such a core character on the show, was originally intended to be fired by boss Wilhelmina Slater in the show's pilot episode. But when the show's writers and producers saw how much chemistry guest star Urie had with Vanessa Williams, they quickly abandoned their plan to have Wilhelmina fire an assistant every week a la Murphy Brown, and instead bumped the actor up to a series regular.
- Producers originally had trouble finding just the right eyeglasses to make Betty so "ugly." They went through about 100 pairs, Silvio Horta says, before they realized the ideal pair was right on Pat Field's face. And so they borrowed them -- and kept strict care of them until duplicates could be found. They felt, Horta recalls, "if they break, it's done!"
- The show's writers considered incorporating Ana Ortiz's real-life pregnancy into the storyline for Hilda. Their main reason for not doing so, Horta says, is timing: by the time the story could be introduced, they would have had to hide Ortiz's changing figure for too long. Then, ironically, they would have to pad the actress, long after she had really given birth.
- Horta says that in creating his show, he didn't really follow too closely to Betty La Fea, the Colombian telenovela upon which the US' Ugly Betty is based. That is, "except this idea of the fish out of water, the unttractive girl working in a fashion environment. And using the glasses and braces and dowdy wardrobe as props of ugliness. Really I went on my own. It was really just using the telenovela feel, the heightened, over-the-top [tone]."
- So, Horta was asked: will Betty and Daniel ever get together romantically? In a word -- no. In the show's pilot, he reveals, the ending had Betty walking away, and the two exchange looks. But he changed his plan when "at a certain point as we were filming it, it became obvious that the chemistry was brother and sister and not romantic. It was its own relationship, and it was something very special. [Pairing them up] doesn't seem like the right thing to do."
- And Field revealed some of her favorite places to shop for the characters' clothes: a consignment shop in NYC called Ina; a vintage store on Orchard Street between Stanton and Rivington, called Frock, specializing in "'90s Dynasty clothes," she says; and of course, old standby Century 21.
And, SPOILER WARNING:
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Okay, here they come:
- In an upcoming episode, Vanessa Williams and returning guest star Christine Baranski duet on "The Man That Got Away."
- Last season, there was talk of a musical episode which never materialized. Tonight, EP Horta revealed that the musical episode will indeed happen, at the end of next season, which is season 4. "The entire cast can sing -- it's incredible," Horta bragged.
- The show has already featured a huge host of famous guest stars, like Patti LuPone, Victoria Beckham, Tim Gunn, Lindsay Lohan and Salma Hayek (one of the show's producers.) This year, in the season finale, expect to see Rachel Dratch -- playing twins. Also coming up: Tommy Hilfiger, Billie Jean King, Rachel Maddow, Adele, and Antonio Sabato, Jr., playing his hunky self.
- Mode magazine will soon have a new boss, who will cause some problems for Claire and Wilhelmina. And no, that's not Betty's boyfriend's father, played by David Rasche. Yes, he'll be there, too -- but he's not the troublesome new big cheese. So who is it? "Whoever this person is, we've already met," Horta said teasingly.
- According to Shaw, she's heard that baby William is about to be kidnapped. Who would do such a thing? I don't know for a fact, but I personally believe that there are actually clues in tomorrow night's episode.
- There's a wedding coming. And we'll learn some secrets about Judith Light's character Claire, secrets which "will propel a lot of what will happen next year," Horta reveals. And add Christopher Gorham's character Henry to the list of returning characters.
- Justin is about to start high school next year -- possibly a school for the performing arts.
- And here's the biggest news of all: next year, Betty gets promoted -- and finally gets her braces off!
Ugly Betty
Season 3 returns 4/30
Thursdays at 8 PM
ABC
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