I've heard nothing but good ...
Question: I've heard nothing but good things about ABC's upcoming
Betty the Ugly. However, I think it has a huge obstacle to overcome: the mean-spirited, degrading and, yes, ugly title. This is even more of an issue now that the name has been changed to
Ugly Betty, an even less poetic and more derogatory description. I realize that we're supposed to empathize with Betty and recognize her talent, intelligence and "inner beauty." But when the very name of the show is an insult, how can we set that aside? It certainly doesn't help that the perfectly attractive
America Ferrera (who's had to play variations on this role in virtually every movie she's acted in) is made up to look like such a caricature. Do you think the show's quality can overwhelm its reductive title? In short, what's in a name?
Answer: Excellent question, and during ABC's press-tour presentation this week it came up a couple of times. The producers insist the new title is closer in translation to the title of the original telenovela on which this hourlong comedy is based. As executive producer
Salma Hayek put it: "It's actually sarcastic. We're making fun of it. We're not really calling her ugly. We're making fun of the people that would think that [she's] ugly. I think she's beautiful." As for her exceedingly nerdy look, the charming and beaming America Ferrera said: "When I'm in character and I'm wearing Betty's costume, I never feel more confident, more beautiful and more pretty on the inside.... I wish that I one day as America [could] feel the way that I feel when I'm Betty. Because when I'm Betty, there's a light that shines from the inside, and it's so wonderful to be her." The show is very stylized, and at moments seems as if it's being awfully cruel to Betty, but deep down, it's actually very sweet and enchanting. So if anyone has a problem with the title, it's their problem, not the show's. Especially once you see it in action. Still, I suppose it could be a liability for a country as uptight as ours (it didn't hurt the series in the many nations where the telenovela has been a big success). I absolutely think the show can overcome its title. What may end up killing it is its Friday time period.
