Your Guide to Ugly Betty's Pretty Stars!
Eric Mabius and America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
TV Guide invites you to get acquainted with the beautiful people of ABC's hot new
Ugly Betty, premiering tonight at 8 pm/ET.
America Ferrera
Plays: Betty Suarez, the sweet, style-deficient assistant to the editor of a top fashion rag.
Previous experience: Starred in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Betty's bio: Smarter than her wardrobe, our heroine is her boss' best asset. "When you get to know Betty, you don't want her to change," Ferrera says. "If becoming beautiful means changing who she is on the inside, then it's not worth it."
Eric Mabius
Plays: "Mode" magazine's womanizing — but oddly insecure — editor in chief, Daniel Meade.
Previous experience: The O.C.'s mean Dean Hess and the token straight guy on Showtime's The L Word.
Daniel's bio: "Betty's teaching me how to [be a better person], and I'm trying to teach her how to live in the adult world," Mabius says. There's a good guy beneath that great body? Stop the presses!
Vanessa Williams
Plays: Wilhelmina Slater, the conniving editorial director who lost the top spot to the boss' son, Daniel.
Previous experience: This ex-Miss America briefly washed up on UPN's South Beach.
Wilhelmina's bio: As she tries to crush Daniel, her opinion of herself is higher than her stilettos. "You want Wilhelmina on your side," Williams says. "She demands respect but can be as crafty as the sliest cat."
Michael Urie
Plays: Marc St. James, Wilhelmina Slater's sycophantic Man Friday.
Previous experience: Searching for a roomie — and answers — in the 9/11 indie WTC View.
Marc's bio: "He's the flying monkey to [Wilhelmina's] Wicked Witch," jokes Urie, who thinks Marc is ultimately looking to topple Wilhelmina. "He's the best kind of character to play: funny, mean, sexy and well-dressed!"
Becki Newton
Plays: Amanda, the scheming secretary hot for Daniel and bothered by Betty.
Previous experience: Guest spots on Law & Order: SVU and Guiding Light.
Amanda's bio: Newton sees her malnourished Mean Girl in Manolos as "a nightmare" in need of a hug. "Her head is so full of hairstyles and different outfits and the runway, there's almost no room for any personal or emotional feelings," Newton says.