Eric Mabius wants to break the "Ugly Betty" chain. In the original version of the international hit — known as "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea," a telenovela sensation in Columbia — ugly duckling Betty Suarez and her dashing millionaire boss ended up as couple at the end.
Mabius, who plays Betty's playboy tycoon boss Daniel Meade on the ABC version, wants to avoid that.
"That's what killed the original series," he says. "It doesn't work for this show. Unrequited love is the strongest kind of love.
"The audience is rooting for that, and (a pairing) is what they think they want. But once you give them that, people feel cheated because the anticipation is far better than the reality."
He sees Daniel as loving Betty, but not sexually.
In real life, the 36-year-old Mabius is perfectly content with his wife, with whom he went to high school, and their baby son, born in June 2006.
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Newfound parenthood is taking its toll on him.
"I haven't gotten a lot of sleep," Mabius says, his tone low and his words pouring out slowly.
"I am so looking forward to sleep again."
On this day, when he and the cast of "Ugly Betty" are greeting the press, Mabius sits on the set near Daniel's office. His demeanor is low-key but polite.
He blames a late night of work, 70-hour weeks and the demands of a baby for it all. (Prior to "Ugly Betty," Mabius' résumé included independent films such as "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and several off-Broadway shows.)
On breaks from shooting "Ugly Betty," Mabius lets go of the Daniel Meade persona easily. His son visits the set. It's not unusual to see Mabius holding the infant outside a dressing room trailer, smiling and cradling him.
"Fortunately, my son is spending most of his time with his mother, which is a good thing," he deadpans. "She is patient, and I am not."
On TV
"Ugly Betty" airs at 7 p.m. Thursdays on ABC.
