'Are you the "before"?' Anyone can become the world's first black Betty in the open casting call for South Africa's uBettina Wethu series adaptation of Ugly Betty.

by Thinus Ferreira

uBettina Wethu, South Africa's localised Ugly Betty adaptation, is looking for a black Betty and it could literally be any young black woman with the show that is doing an open casting call. 

A funny scene in the first episode of Ugly Betty is when Betty arrives on her first day at work at a magazine and the receptionist mistakenly assumes that she's the "before" - meaning the person who was specifically cast to look as bad as possible when makeover photoshoots are done to show the "before" and "after" transformation.

Now that "before" could be any young black woman in South Africa between the age of 22 and 26 who will get the role as Bettina Sikhakane.

uBettina Wethu, a co-production between the SABC that will broadcast it on SABC1 and the video streaming VIU.

The series is produced by the South African production company Known Associates Entertainment, with Tshepiso Sello as producer with the company that has been responsible for series like Keeping Score, Hustle and Emoyeni as Fireworx Media.

The uBettina Wethu project is also supported by South Africa's department of trade and industry and is a South African adaptation of Colombia's Yo Soy Bety La Fea, known as Ugly Betty.

The popular series holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful telenovela after it has been adapted in 19 territories, broadcast in 180 countries and dubbed into 15 languages with uBettina Wethu as the South African adaptation that will be the first in the world to feature a black Betty along with a majority-black cast.

In South Africa's version of uBettina Wethu the main premise follows the journey of a wholesome, intelligent, but gawky, people-pleaser with a dated, unsophisticated sense of style, who finds her self-worth and image challenged when she is employed at Nubia, a brand management company, a place where at times people value image over substance. 

Bettina Sikhakane is a kind-hearted, smart, career-focused woman, with a dream of running her own company but when she lands a job as the personal assistant to Nubia’s new boss, she has to contend with her colleagues' assumption that because of her quirky style and kindness, she must be stupid.

As part of an open casting call, people who want to enter can access the script at www.ubettinawethu.co.za, take a video of themselves doing an audition performing parts of the script and send it to the Whatsapp number of 087 240 5150. Entry is free and the closing date to submit an "audition tape" is 15 January 2021.

Besides auditioning for Bettina, the producers are also looking for Dingaan, a main character and a love interest of Bettina who must be a black actor between the age of 27 and 30 and who is the Nubia boss, as well Dingaan's black mother with the show looking for an actress between the ages of 52 and 56. 

After the initial selection process during which people will be able to get to vote as well to narrow down the search to the top 3 choices for each role, a closed audition process will take place to choose Bettina as well as Dingaan and his mother.

"These public auditions are an exciting and appropriate way for us to welcome uBettina Wethu into our lives and on our screens," says Ryan Solovei, VIU Africa country manager.

"This production is already capped with many firsts and for VIU, it echoes our commitment to developing local productions and unearthing local talent in South Africa."

"We’re excited to see the entries and the final outcome for the three main characters of the story, and we look forward to the public’s participation as they have their say into who gets to be the next big stars of Mzansi."

Producer Tshepiso Sello says "the social climate in which we find ourselves necessitates a coming-of-age story with a twist. It is meant to allow the audience the chance to see themselves in the characters of the story - to not only root for their success or downfall but see the characters as an extension of themselves."

"The road to achieving this starts with finding the right talent, by engaging the public we want our audiences to feel part and parcel of the show from the onset of our production process before it even hits their screens, after all its uBettina Wethu."

Ugly Betty is back - this time in the new 2019-telenovela on Telemundo on DStv, Betty in New York, with Elyfer Torres as Betty and some changes to the story.

Ugly Betty is back - this time as an irresistible soap, Betty in New York, that you will love to laugh with on Telemundo (DStv 118) about an "ugly" and socially-awkward young woman who goes to work at a fashion company and eventually shows the ugly people there true inner beauty.

The English-dubbed Betty in New York (Betty en Nueva York) is a brand-new 2019 version that started on Monday and will broadcast on weekdays at 20:00 and an omnibus on weekends.

Betty in New York is similar to the beloved and well-known 4-season American ABC drama series Ugly Betty that was broadcast on M-Net, SABC3 and The Sony Channel with America Ferrera in the title role.

Like that series, the new telenovella is also based on the original Colombian telenovela, Yo soy Betty, la fea.

In this version, produced by Telemundo Global Studios, Elyfer Torres portrays Betty Rincón, who is, in keeping with the story, deliberately "ugly-fied" by the producers.

In the Colombian original and in the American version, as well as the new Telemundo one, the producers know that viewers will get the in-joke of deliberately dressing a woman in ugly non-matching clothes and black spectacles that's perpetually worn skew.

Some changes in the new version include Betty not going to work at a glossy magazine, but rather finding herself working for Armando (although there is a Daniel there) at a Bold and the Beautiful-type fashion company, V&M Fashion, as his assistant after Armando is made president.

Living in New York, Betty will slowly start to win hearts and overcome prejudices in a materialistic world where external image is everything.

Ridiculed and humiliated daily for not "looking the part" although she's far more competent and qualified than anybody there, Betty will not just climb the corporate ladder but maybe also find true love.

Erick Elias is Armando Mendoza and Rodolfo Salas is Daniel Valencia, with Sabrina Seara as Marcela.

Telemundo placed half of the first hourlong episode online on YouTube for sampling:

South Africa to possibly get a local version of Colombia's Ugly Betty as Known Associates Entertainment options the right to an adaptation.

South Africa could possibly get a local version of Colombia's Ugly Betty after the recently established production company Known Associates Entertainment acquired the option from Colombia's RCN to adapt Betty La Fea for South African viewers.

A South African version of Ugly Betty could land at M-Net (DStv 101), e.tv or even the cash-strapped public broadcaster SABC where it could become a drama series or longer telenovela like the original.

Known Associates Entertainment plans to make Ugly Betty in South African languages.

South African viewers watched the American version of Ugly Betty with America Ferrera created by Silvio Horta that started in 2006 and that was executive produced by Salma Hayek and Ben Silverman on VUZU, M-Net, SABC3 and The Sony Channel (DStv 127).

FIRST LOOK! Ugly Betty recreates infamous Dynasty fish pond fight scene with Wilhelmina Slater and Claire Meade.

You're seeing it here first.

I just finished watching it, and the penultimate episode of Ugly Betty that just went out in America features a wonderful Dynasty visual in-joke that seems to have slipped past everyone.

South African viewers will get to see the second to last Ugly Betty episode on Tuesday, 6 July on M-Net when Wilhelmina Slater and Claire Meade re-enact Dynasty's famous fish pond fight scene.

In a tip of the hat to one of modern television's most iconic TV scenes, Ugly Betty just recreated the infamous fish pond fight scene of the eighties super soap when the evil Alexis and the blonde Krystle gets involved in a cat fight, tumbles into the fish pond and continues to go crazy and claw at each other. Now Wilhelmina and the blonde Claire do the same in a cool homage to Dynasty when they clash at a MODE photo shoot and fall into the fish pond!

For the awesome Ugly Betty sequence of events recreating the Dynasty fight scene, click on READ MORE below.

EXCLUSIVE. Top Billing's Jeannie D reveal the inside secrets of her Ugly Betty set visit.

You're reading it here first.

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.

BREAKING. Ugly Betty cancelled.

"We've mutually come to the difficult decision to make this Ugly Betty's final season, and are announcing now as we want to allow the show ample time to write a satisfying conclusion. We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series, and felt it was important to give the fans a proper farewell."

So says the ABC network in America that has just issued a joint press release with Ugly Betty's Silvio Horta who has been Ugly Betty's head writer and executive producer.

I can be first to tell you that the 4th and final season of Ugly Betty will start on M-Net in March. Of course the first season just started on SABC3. The 4th season will also no longer have 22 episodes, but just 20.

BREAKING. SABC3 has Ugly Betty (finally). And it's beautiful.

You're reading it here first. SABC3 which acquired the broadcasting rights a while ago finally has the dramedy Ugly Betty on the schedule. The first season of Ugly Betty will start on SABC3 on Monday, 18 January at 21:00. Episodes will go out Mondays to Wednesdays.

M-Net has ''first run'' rights on Ugly Betty and the 4th season starts in January on the pay channel. I've watched up until episode 8 last night that aired Friday in America and the show is brilliant.

Like Betty I've worked many years in a magazine environment and I laugh and I cry with every episode because of the truth it contains. A former editor of mine at a magazine once said: ''This magazine is NOT Ugly Betty.'' I laughed in my head. Because I thought: ''IT SO IS!''

If you haven't had an opportunity to watch Ugly Betty yet, imagine the movie The Devil Wears Prada but as a TV show that grows and characters from inside America's magazine world. America? Yes. There's two America's because America Ferrera plays the ''ugly'' Betty Suarez who works at MODE magazine with ''beautiful'' people. Vanessa Williams is simply superb and brilliant as the boss from hell, Wilhelmina Slater.