The Boys from UGLY BETTY Talk to Us! Michael Urie and Mark Indelicato Answer a Few Questions...
Well, as all of us had expected at BroadwayWorld.com, everyone at UGLY BETTY loves musicals and everyone who loves musicals, happens to love UGLY BETTY... A match made in heaven! We'd been trying for months to make contact with well-known thesp Michael Urie and breakout talent, Mark Indelicato. We heard from them this week, as they get ready to roll the cameras onto their Second Season (premiering on Thursday, September 27th) of the ABC surprise Emmy-nominated hit and multiple award-winner.
Michael Urie
 Michael, being theatre-trained at Juilliard, when you heard that Patti LuPone had been chosen to play your mother, what was your initial reaction?
When they told me Marc's mom was going to come to town, I was thrilled for obvious reasons....not the least of which was how much I've always loved (in my nerdy way) "TV-parent-casting." Carol Burnett as Helen Hunt's mom on Mad About You, Kathleen Turner as Matthew Perry's - er - Dad on Friends, Elaine Stritch as Alec Baldwin's mom on 30 Rock, John Ritter as Zach Braff's dad on Scrubs...Always fun!
So, then to find out that Patti LuPone was going to play Mama Weiner...... forget about it! As long as I've loved the theatre, I've loved LuPone, and sharing an alma mater (The Juilliard School) felt like I was on the right track as an actor.
The real treat wasn't finding out though, it was WORKING with her. You want your divas to live up to the name, and I was lucky with Vanessa Williams. Who'd have thought lightning would strike twice?
  Patti was so gracious, funny, excited, lovely and brilliant for those several days. And we (the cast, crew, everyone) were enamored with her. By the end of her last day, we were all huddled around my computer watching performances of hers on YouTube...getting the inside scoop. And then America (Ferrera), Becki (Newton), Rebecca (Romijin) and I all made a special trip out to see our divas: Patti LuPone in Gypsy, then Vanessa Williams in concert in Newark.
 Because everyone loves your character and because Marc tried so hard to come out to his mom, people suspect that her reaction was so severe that she'll have to be back to resolve these issues. Can you tell us if there's any truth to our logic?
 Well, she just has to! I'm told she will.......if she's not too busy winning an Olivier! (Ed note: Patti won an Olivier Award already for originating the role of Fantine in the Royal Shakespeare Company / Cameron Mackintosh production of Les Miserables, directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird...AND she was the first American actress to win the award...but Michael might have been alluding to the rumors that LuPone's GYPSY might find its way to the West End, directed by Arthur Laurents).
Can you tell us what it's like to work with Vanessa Williams.
She's "class" personified. Good natured, giving, compassionate. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have the gig I have. I could've very easily gone the way of a glorified extra, but because she took a liking to me, and added a few barking "Marc's!" they couldn't cut around me! She's a great lady and the best person to have around when you're thrown into a "red carpet" situation!
Because we'll hopefully be able to sit down and interview you personally for BWW TV, we want to ask one last question: Do you get to keep any of Marc's wardrobe?
Whether or not I "get" to keep Marc's wardrobe has nothing to do with whether or not there are a few pieces in my closet at home.................
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 Robert Diamond founded BroadwayWorld.com in 2003, which has now become the largest theatre web site in the world. He also serves as the site's Editor-in-Chief, covering Broadway and beyond, with specific local coverage for 100 cities in the United States, 30 countries worldwide and 15 other related areas of entertainment - including dance, opera, fashion, concerts, comedy, films, television and more.The 2001 Syracuse University graduate (School of Information Studies) is also the owner of Wisdom Digital Media, an award-winning leading design company for entertainment and technology web sites. In his previous life, he held an executive position for the world's leading publisher of technology magazines, web sites and conferences and, as a result, was named among the "Top thirty magazine industry executives under the age of 30" by FOLIO Magazine. Diamond got his start in the entertainment field, accidentally, when he created the 'official web site' (while in college) for Michael Crawford, the popular actor and original Tony and Olivier Award-winning star of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. (He still blames Crawford - and credits him - for anything that goes particularly right or wrong during an average day.) As a respected member of the Broadway and theatre community, Diamond also served as Lead Producer for a series of sold-out shows using the BroadwayWorld.com 'brand' for a set of 'Standing Ovations' concerts, which also branched out into titles that included Holiday Shows and even more specific concerts like 'From Stage to Screen and Back Again' in tandem with publishers and movie studios. All proceeds were in turn donated to Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, the industry's leader in aid for performers in need. Robert lives in Manhattan with his wife and two dogs, growing the business and getting little sleep. In addition, you can usually find him in a theatre many nights a week. Robert's very popular blog, 'The Broadway Pulse' appears daily on BroadwayWorld.com and he also writes weekly about theatre for the USA Network's Character Approved blog. In December of last year, Diamond was one of 5 Syracuse University Alumni, all having achieved success in the world of start-ups, business growth and venture capital, participating on a panel addressing young alumni who are currently pursuing their dreams of running their own business and experiencing the day to day challenges of a startup. It is part of the university's new Student Accelerator Program, for which Rob was recommended by Syracuse University's i-School.
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