Eric Mabius couldn’t be happier watching his former Ugly Betty costars proceed to shine because the present’s 2010 finale.
“I had a lot enjoyable working with everybody,” Mabius, 53, completely instructed Us Weekly of his Ugly Betty castmates whereas selling his newest Hallmark Thriller film, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Story of Three Letters. “I don’t have a nasty phrase to say about any single certainly one of them.”
The actor, who performed Daniel Meade on the present, famous that the forged “used to get collectively extra usually” however “life occurs.”
Ugly Betty premiered on ABC in 2006 and adopted the not-so-stylish Betty (America Ferrera) after she landed a job at a prestigious trend journal in New York Metropolis. Betty evolves throughout her time at Mode journal — and improves her boss, Daniel’s (Mabius) life alongside the way in which — earlier than changing into an editor herself.
Though the forged of Ugly Betty has gone their separate methods, Mabius instructed Us that his supervisor nonetheless represents Ana Ortiz, who performed Hilda Suarez, and Vanessa Williams, who portrayed Wilhelmina Slater, after he launched them on the present.
“I imply, that’s how a lot I like my costars,” he stated, sharing that he retains “tabs on their careers as they evolve.”
Ferrera, 40, earned her first Oscar nomination for 2023’s Barbie greater than a decade after Ugly Betty got here to an finish. That very same 12 months, Judith Mild, who performed Daniel’s mom, Claire Meade, on the sitcom, received her first Emmy Award for her position on Poker Face — they usually aren’t the one ones who’ve had continued success.
“I simply take pleasure in [watching] them,” Mabius instructed Us of his former costars. “[Seeing] Becki Newton on The Lincoln Lawyer and studying about Michael Urie’s conquest on Broadway. It’s nice.” (Newton performed Amanda Tanen on Ugly Betty, whereas Urie portrayed Marc St. James.)
Mabius gushed: “It’s like listening to about your siblings doing very well on this planet, and it’s a extremely nice feeling.”
Along with rooting for his former castmates, Mabius stated he loves that new generations have found the present. “[There’s] a complete new technology [of] mother and father who’re my age introducing their youngsters to [it] and having a complete different kind of expertise watching the present collectively,” he stated. “It’s actually neat.”
Wanting again, Mabius revealed that the “highest praise” the forged ever obtained was when somebody instructed them their dying grandmother beloved the present. Earlier than she died, her household requested, “‘What are you gonna miss most while you’re gone?’ And he or she stated, ‘I believe what I’ll miss most is sitting round with you watching Ugly Betty,’” Mabius remembered.
He defined that kind of love for certainly one of his tasks is “one thing to try for in life,” including that it meant so much to see the Ugly Betty workforce “put one thing into the world that made a distinction and continues to make a distinction to individuals’s lives and [for] individuals making an attempt to wrestle with their very own identification and the place they match on this planet and everybody [who is] feeling like a fish out of water and present them how making them somewhat bit extra OK.”
Whereas an Ugly Betty reunion isn’t within the works, Mabius instructed Us he’d “love all of them” to come back and be a part of his Hallmark Thriller household in a future installment of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise.
Mabius, in the meantime, reconnected together with his SSD household earlier this 12 months to movie two new films for Hallmark. The twelfth movie general, titled A Story of Three Letters, premiered on Friday, July 12. The thirteenth installment, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Moon and Again, will premiere on Hallmark Thriller in 2025.
Whereas the franchise was a giant success for the community, it had been three years because the Postables — a.okay.a Denver’s Lifeless Letter Workplace — teamed up for a brand new challenge. In accordance with Mabius, their comeback had so much to do with the followers.
“They actually caught by us and impressed homework I believe to divulge heart’s contents to extra [films] and [convince creator] Martha [Williamson] to return and take a look at the cannon and resolve the place she needed to go to subsequent,” he instructed Us. “She’s not gonna inform a narrative if she doesn’t have an actual cause to.”
On the subject of what followers can anticipate for To the Moon and Again’s story line, Mabius confirmed that his character Oliver’s new position as a dad might be a giant a part of the journey. (Oliver’s spouse, Shane, performed by Kristin Sales space, introduced her being pregnant in A Story of Three Letters).
Sales space, 49, completely instructed Us that they’re already completed capturing the 2025 film. “I can undoubtedly trace towards persevering with the theme of household and what a household is and what it seems like,” she teased.
She added: “I can assure you’ll not be upset with the subsequent movie. It’s actually, actually enjoyable. And we get to see the Postables somewhat bit extra out of the DLO once more. I all the time love once they get out of their factor.”
All of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered films can be found to stream on Hallmark Motion pictures Now.