[IMG:L]Fans are still hooked on the continuing saga of Ugly Betty but the stars have wrapped for the summer. The Suarez family may be on hiatus but actress Ana Ortiz hasn’t slowed down. With her wedding to Noah Lebenzon planned for June, the next month could be more hectic than working on a one hour drama.
Ortiz plays Betty’s older sister Hilda. She may be skinny and date lots of guys, but that doesn’t make her happy. Just trying to keep her son, Justin’s father in his life has been traumatic, not to mention the family drama with dad being a fugitive. Yes, translating the telenovela into English hasn’t filtered out any of the melodrama.
In real life, Ortiz is having fun. Chatting on her cell phone while out and about running errands, she proved a good multi-tasker. She kept her dog from barking and greeted her cashiers politely without missing a beat in her conversation with Hollywood.com. If Hilda had it together like that, maybe she wouldn’t be in so much trouble.
Hollywood.com: Have you been planning the wedding the whole year while shooting?
Ana Ortiz: Not really which is probably why it’s a little more hectic than it probably should be. It was so difficult with Betty to do anything else really. But I’ve had a really great event planner helping me so we’re pretty well along in the game.
HW: Is it a traditional June wedding or will you change it up and do something crazy?
AO: It’s going to be in Puerto Rico and I think it will be pretty traditional I suppose. We have a really great band because Puerto Rico, you know, you have to have great music. That’ll probably be the highlight of the whole scene.
HW: Is that a built in honeymoon too or are you going somewhere else?
AO: I think we’re going somewhere else. I sort of left it up to my fiancé. I think we’re going to a place that has pink sand beaches. I think it’s the Bahamas. I’m not really sure. I’ll sort of let it be a surprise a little bit.
HW: Have you ever felt conflicted playing the hot girl on a show about ugly?
AO: [Laughs] That’s a good question. No, not really. I mean, thank you first of all. Everybody has their own sort of Achilles heel I think on the show. One person’s ugly is another person’s beauty too. Hilda, a lot of people don’t find her particularly hot. Maybe a little bit more like a hoochie. But I think it’s all really fun. It’s really a pretty fun character to play but she definitely has some flaws. It’s not that she’s wearing braces and glasses, it’s that she can’t really hold down a job yet or support her own kid.
HW: How long does it take you to doll up for it?
AO: Gosh, it takes a while. It takes about an hour and a half or so.
HW: Are you in the same trailer as America Ferrara getting done?
AO: Yeah, we all have the same hair and makeup trailer. She’s kind of very quick because she just has to put the braces on, the wig and they don’t want her in a lot of makeup so it’s pretty quick. But yeah, we’re all there in the trailer getting ready together.
HW: How do you like playing Latin culture?
AO: I love playing it. I love living it. I love being able to for the first time actually represent something that I’m extremely proud of. It’s just been a really huge honor to be part of playing the Suarez family and working with Tony Plana and America and little Mark [Indelicato]. It’s just been an extraordinary experience. When I read the script the first time, I thought, “Oh my God, this is really similar to my family” so it wasn’t like this arduous process of research and work. It was actually quite wonderful to sort of be able to slap on my Hilda-wear and really just let loose.
HW: They’re not Puerto Rican though, right?
AO: I think right now at least one half of our family is Mexican. Ignacio, we don’t know who he really is. Ignacio Suarez is an assumed identity. So there’s a whole bunch of mystery. You know, it’s a telenovela so there’s really no telling where we can go with it but as of right now, we know that, because we have to take a trip to Mexico so that he can get his visa.
HW: So what are the slight or major differences between the culture on the show and your real culture?
AO: I know in the Suarez kitchen we’re always cooking with tortillas and that whole thing. I’m Puerto Rican and tortillas really isn’t a part of our daily menu. So that’s always an interesting thing and also, even as much as, and this isn’t to say that it’s Mexican or Puerto Rican or what, but I know the Suarez house, we always comment on it. All of the actors say it because they have our house sort of really kind of disheveled and sloppy and papers everywhere. I just never knew a single Latin family that didn’t live in a completely pristine overly sanitized home, between the plastic [on the] furniture and the Lysol, it’s just sort of how I grew up with everything being completely immaculate. I think when you don’t have a lot of money, you want to make sure that what you do have stays pretty immaculate. I remember specifically being a kid in the summer and sticking to my grandmother’s furniture because it was all covered with the horrible plastic covers, not being allowed to go into certain rooms because I would make it messy and having to clean up after myself at every junction of the day. I don’t think that’s really represented in the Suarez home. We’re much more lax about it. It’s just the way you grow up. They never want anybody to think badly of us so everything has to be completely perfect.
HW: With the season finale, is there any major cliffhanger for Hilda specifically?
AO: Yeah, specifically I think there’s a lot of tragedy for her. It’ll be really interesting to see how she and Justin handle it. There are cliffhangers for everyone and for Hilda definitely. Tragic.
HW: She got engaged on the show, right?
AO: Yes, I know. Sort of art imitating life.
HW: Should we assume that’s not going to go so well for her?
AO: It may not go so well. Sadly.
HW: Can you relate to any of her relationship issues?
AO: Oh my gosh, yes, absolutely. I mean , I never had a kid, I’m not a single mom but I was raised by a single mom. I think also, I definitely went through my whole bad boy phase and dated guys where it was just destined for heartache. In fact, I went through that for most of my adult life. So I sort of learned not to repeat those same mistakes and just take some time. After the last horrible one, I just took some time off and regrouped. I think maybe Hilda should try that.
HW: How did you know your current fiancé was the one? What changed?
AO: He’s a nice guy and we took it so nice and slow and really got to sort of hang and become friends. I was much more along the lines of the “see each other across a crowded room, lightning bolts, passion, drama, fire” and all of that nonsense. Really that only lasts so long and it doesn’t really bode well for the rest of the relationship. What I find so interesting about the guy that I’m with now, my fiancé is that it was so fun. From beginning to end, there hasn’t been sort of conflict. It hasn’t been me crying on my girlfriends’ couch. It’s just a completely new experience. There’s a mutual respect there and our goals are very similar. I feel very grown up.
HW: I have some female friends that need to make that transition. What is the thing that can make you switch from drama to really stable nice guys?
AO: Yeah, that’s a good question. For me, I think it was time, to be perfectly honest. And I think time only because I know myself in a much better way. I always had this idea of what I wanted and I never was able to really let go of it. I had like “this is who I’m supposed to be with. This is what I’ve been picturing since I was 15. This is the guy.” So I would sort of just go out with that mold, whatever that meant until I realized that it’s not what I want and it’s not going to make me happy. But because we have this sort of fixated idea in our head for so long, it’s just hard to be like “Oh, maybe all that drama and bullsh***, excuse my language, is not what I want.” I don’t need fireworks. I just always thought that there had to be this incredible first thing, this whole thing of Prince Charming coming and sweeping you off your feet. It’s just bologna. We’ve been sold a bill of good since we were kids with Cinderella and Snow White and everything will be fine. This guy will just come and gallop off. It really has to be like no, we have to be our own Prince Charming before we can really find out Prince Charming. If we waited for somebody to rescue us, it’s just bound for horror.
HW: The show became a hit really fast. How did the success change the set once you knew it was connecting?
AO: We loved our show so much from the beginning. From shooting the pilot, we just loved it. We felt like it was something really special and wonderful. We were put on a Friday night and it was sort of not looked at as we were going to be a hit in any way. It was just like, “Oh, let’s just put them on the family night.” It really was so quick, like “Oh, you’re putting us up on Thursday.” We were frightened a little. It was like, “Oh my God, there’s all this high pressure just to deliver.” But America never even faltered. She was like, “Good. Good. We should be on Thursday. We’re awesome.” So we all sort of followed suit. We were all like, “Yeah, heck yeah.” I mean, this from a 22-year-old. She’s so amazing. So we were all like, “Yeah, you’re right, we are awesome. This is going to be great.” And we just all stuck together. Through that whole period of time when it first started hitting, we would have dinner at different people’s house. Tony Plana hosted one, Ashley Jensen who plays Christina hosted one. We just huddled together and looked at each other in sort of awe, except for America who was like, “See. Told you guys. Knew it, knew it, knew it.” It was just a real big sense of family and it was just complete elation.
HW: Are you getting recognized a lot now?
AO: I don’t get recognized that much. Sometimes, but I’m so much more low key than Hilda I think it doesn’t really happen. Whenever I’m hanging out with little Mark who plays my son Justin – which is a lot because we hang out all the time, they sort of adopted me and become my family away from my family – when we’re together, they see him and go, “Oh my God, I love you. I love you, you’re Justin on Ugly Betty. That’s so cool.” Then they’ll look at me really quick and then they’ll be like, “Oh my God, oh my God, you’re Hilda!” It’s sort of a delayed reaction and it’s great. It’s just so cool. And everybody’s so enthusiastic and kind. Everybody seems to have their own sort of Betty story that they want to tell you and it’s really nice.
HW: Betty stories like they feel like they are Betty or know someone like her?
AO: Yeah, it’s either they’re Betty or they’re Hilda or their sister’s just like Hilda. Whatever it is, they’re working in a place like Mode and their boss is just like Wilhemina, everybody has something that they can relate to. A lot of times it’s the food. “Oh my God, my papi cooks every time too and we have a party.” It’s so cool.
HW: What’s your real life fashion?
AO: Pretty low key. I’m a jeans and a tank top kind of a girl. I do love to dress up and stuff and it usually involves a fierce pair of shoes. Like how cliché, a girl who loves shoes, but yeah, I am. But I dress pretty low key. I don’t fuss about it too much. Like right now I’m just wearing a denim skirt with some sneakers.
HW: This show has been such a big break, but you’ve been working a lot in television before. What’s been your journey in this crazy Hollywood place?
AO: It’s been a lot of ups and down. There are so many times when you are just ready to throw in the towel here but it never fails, something will always come along. If it’s not some television work, I always sort of worked my way into a play or like I was taking classes at UCB right up through this whole season of Betty. It’s an improv theater here in LA that’s so incredible, Upright Citizens Brigade. They’re fantastic and I was taking a class with them when I got Betty and I just continued through the whole season taking classes over there and I really feel like it was just invaluable working with them and having that, just keeping your chops up because the bar is raised really high on Betty. Everybody’s doing amazing, amazing work. You don’t want to be the weak link. But I’ve just managed to sort of keep my sanity. I have a really wonderful support system of my family. I’ve made some good friends out here and being in love makes everything a lot easier.
HW: Any idea what’s going to be going on when you go back to work?
AO: I have no idea. They won’t tell America and I anything because we’re such blabbermouths. I think there is going to be a musical episode though which is going to be ridiculous…That’ll be really fun. We’re all musical freaks and we’ve had Rita Moreno, Kristin Chenoweth is guest starring on the show, Patti LuPone of course and hopefully they’ll come back for it.
