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Ugly Betty's Ralph Macchio Returns for Some Romance

Betty has been getting all the men these days, but now her sister Hilda is getting a shot at love — with the Karate Kid. "Archie and Hilda are heating up," says guest star Ralph Macchio, whose character, councilman Archie Rodriguez, had an undeniable chemistry with Ana Ortiz's character earlier this season. "The entire Suarez house is doing everything they can to set Hilda and Archie up, but she's ...

Gina DiNunno
Gina DiNunno

Betty has been getting all the men these days, but now her sister Hilda is getting a shot at love — with the Karate Kid.

"Archie and Hilda are heating up," says guest star Ralph Macchio, whose character, councilman Archie Rodriguez, had an undeniable chemistry with Ana Ortiz's character earlier this season. "The entire Suarez house is doing everything they can to set Hilda and Archie up, but she's a little on the fence that he may not be her type or the guy."

Though the two characters appear to be like night and day, Macchio feels that's what makes them so compatible. "He's very structured and by the book. And she's very knee-jerk and passion first, think later," says Macchio. "That dynamic does play into these episodes, but in a good way. With both of the characters you begin to see flaws that work together like puzzle pieces. It's really endearing, charming and very funny with where it goes and how they figure out a way to hit it off." 

Macchio can thank the Ugly Bettyfans for his return to the series. "There has been a decent amount of feedback of people wanting to see more of these two characters and where it can go," says Macchio. "I think the folks that were waiting for me to come back through the door will be pleased. You never know with these shows. It starts out with an episode or two, and they call you back and want you to do a run for a character."

But Macchio isn't the only one hoping Archie sticks around the Suarez home a bit longer. "Funny thing is, I've never taken my kids to an audition, but I took my son — he's 13 — to this one because I was in the city at the time. I got the part, so now he wants 10 percent of anything I get," the actor laughed. "And he always rushes to the last page of the script to see if I'm coming back or if I've been hit by a bus!"