Angelica Vale, Mexico's Ugly Betty, Says She Struggled with Looks in Real Life
 Istra Pacheco - Associated Press
| | Mexican actress Angelica Vale is seen in character as Leticia Padilla, right, transformed into Aurora. She plays the main character of the Mexican soap opera The Prettiest Ugly Girl. (Marco Ugarte/AP) |
Being ugly may be in fashion for TV viewers around the world, but not for those who experience its repercussions in real life, says Angelica Vale, star of the popular Mexican soap opera The Prettiest Ugly Girl.
"At one point they fired me from my job as the host of a television program, because it's true, I was pretty fat," Vale told The Associated Press in an interview to discuss her character's recent transformation on the show from ugly duckling to swan.
But Vale's perceived physical disadvantages became a blessing when she landed the part of Leticia Padilla Solis, a nerdy office worker with thick black glasses, greasy hair, pimples, and braces who is the protagonist of The Prettiest Ugly Girl.
In recent episodes of the show, one of numerous adaptations in several countries of the original Colombian telenovela I Am Ugly Betty, Padilla was transformed rapidly into Aurora, a stunning and mysterious woman whose loud makeup, red hair and long dresses with gloves recall images of Mexico's movie star divas of the 1940s and 1950s.
"This is the first change for 'Lety' because there will be more surprises," before the show ends on Feb. 23, Vale said, adding, "I'm very content with it, though, because what they wanted was to create a scandal, that would draw a lot of attention, that would not go unnoticed."
The Prettiest Ugly Girl is one of the most popular telenovelas in the history of Mexico's dominant Televisa network, and is broadcast in numerous countries, including the United States.
Mexico film star Salma Hayek launched an American adaptation of the show called Ugly Betty, last year. It promptly won a Golden Globe for best comedy series, while the show's star America Ferrera won the Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy. |
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Entertainment | February 2007 
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