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I spoke to Top Billing's wonderful presenter Jeannie D to find out all the secrets about her recent Ugly Betty set visit to New York.
Ugly Betty is currently on SABC3 and M-Net and I wanted to get the super secrets and all the gossip straight from her on how it was. I wanted to hear what she really thought of the Ugly Betty cast that she interviewed like Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina and Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade.
Jeannie dishes about the clothes, the set, the actors, and what - and who - she really, really liked!
For more screenshots and Jeannie D's revealing Ugly Betty set visit interview, click on READ MORE below.
What did you think of Eric Mabius who plays Daniel Meade?
He actually just arrived from the Winter Olympics because he's a skier. So he was actually in Canada and he rushed in for the interview because he wasn't shooting that day. It was awesome having him there because he's lovely.
I did a set visit when the production was still based in Los Angeles and then they moved to really be in New York. What was your perception of being on the Ugly Betty set?
SABC3 is on the first season now and M-Net just started with the fourth season of Ugly Betty. MODE looks exactly the same. Obviously for season four there is a couple of changes.
Betty has a new office, Wilhelmina has a new look – they've updated it. What I can tell you from when I went to Wilhelmina's office is that when I landed back at home, I went furniture shopping with that exact inspiration in mind. It was just unbelievably styled.
She had these Philippe Starck chairs everywhere which I went to go and buy because they look so beautiful in her office. She had this Philippe Starck gold AK47 lamp hanging there – which you know just says ''power woman'', and having this gun lamp – ha ha! And she even had a horse whip on her desk.
She's really a strong woman and it shows in her office - but it was done in white which is beautiful. The nice thing about the set – over and above meeting the actors – was obviously no expense was spared. The shoes in the wardrobe were Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik, the outfits were all Dolce and Gabbana and Armani Prive. You can definitely see they've got budget for their set. The furniture was top class – and they use the originals, not the generics. That was really impressive. And that's just for the actors really because viewers would never even know the difference watching it on TV.
The general vibe?
It's obviously very busy. I think a lot of the actors feel a bit low because obviously the show has been cancelled, but generally it’s a fun show and everyone was really, really great. We were meant to interview America Ferrera who plays Betty. We did chat to her beforehand but then she didn't want to go on camera because she wasn't having a good day, but we just hanged around and the whole cast was really wonderful.
Was there something surprising that Eric Mabius or Vanessa Williams said to you? When I interviewed them what struck me was how amazing great actors they are because they're so far removed as people from the roles they portray so convincingly.
Yes, one thing that I can say is that Eric Mabius is he's a family guy. He's down to earth. He definitely not the womanizing exec that we see on TV. He's a very, very stunning guy – very charming, very good-looking.
Vanessa Williams impressed me like you can't believe. She's a consumate professional. She's elegant, she's beautiful. When she speaks to you she knows exactly how to answer an interview question. She starts and finished everything with conviction, and she knew her own lighting. Unbelievably professional is all I can say.
Something that was quite enjoyable is she was in Cape Town in December and she was in South Africa and she went to Sol Kerzner's house to party. She went on safari and she talks about Franschhoek as if she's been here often. And with huge affection for the place. You know, when you travel so much it's always really enjoyable to hear people speak about South Africa with such fondness.
And then, is there maybe one or two set secrets that you can possibly share with viewers who are fans of the show and that they would not ever realize is there.
That dungeon – that secret sex room – does feature in season four. Ha ha! And, it's all done on a sound stage. And even though they shoot in New York and they have New York backdrops, those are actually photographs, you don't really see the New York skyline from where they're filming at the studio.
I've been at real magazines, and what was wonderful was to be on a set of a fictitious magazine and to get the feeling that it's actually more real than many magazines in terms of their office space. They had better real equipment and furniture and stationary and everything there at Ugly Betty. Did you get that feeling of accuracy in how they want to portray the media and magazine world as well?
Not really but I think now being on their final season, now it’s a production order for them. They know the vibe. And the actors know their characters so well that I think they'd be able to walk into a magazine setting and be able to do the job because they've lived with those characters with four years.
I think now it's a tight-running ship. Something that wasn't too pleasing though – obviously because of unions and budget cuts and stuff – where before they would have time to do four takes, now they've got to get it done in a very specific amount of time. They're pressed for time to get it done so that they don't pay overtime and extra hours. It's sad but it's a sign of the times and of the economic climate as well that is also affecting the entertainment industry.
And then the last question Jeannie, what did you enjoy the most about doing the Ugly Betty interviews and doing the Ugly Betty set visit?
Seeing the wardrobe and seeing those clothes. Doing a set visit is the usual hurry-up-and-wait scenario so we get there and then you've got to wait for the actors to show up when they have time off from the sound stage once they finish. So we had a lot of time waiting around. And I went through every single garment and every pair of shoes. Ha ha! I was salivating.
I think Vanessa Williams for me was the peak. She was just such a great interview. She was fantastic to speak to and very professional. I found her very, very inspiring.
Top Billing with Jeannie D, Thursdays on SABC3 at 19:30
Ugly Betty I, Mondays to Thursdays on SABC3 at 21:00
Ugly Betty IV, Tuesdays on M-Net at 19:30
