Chatting with the precocious Mark Indelicato of "Ugly Betty"

Think about what you were doing when you were 12 years old. I think I was obsessing about getting my first pimple or something. How different life is for Mark Indelicato who, plays the fashion-loving Justin on "Ugly Betty." This kid steals just about every scene he is in and I was so glad to meet with him and chat a bit before he joined cast members inside the VIP dinner at an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences event this week.
I started off by asking him what it's like for him to be on this big hit show that has propelled him and the rest of the cast to such fame.
Mark: "A year ago, I was back in New York auditioning and really, really waiting for my break and here I am. I'm here and having my picture taken and being interviewed. I'm just living my dream and I'm really excited."
Greg: Waiting for your break? How old are you?
Mark: Well, I'm been in the business for half my life! I'm only 12, I've been acting since I was six. So, I've been waiting for a pretty long time in my eyes."
Talk about ambitious!
Justin is a free spirit whose family encourages his individuality. Instead of being aghast at his feminine qualities, they embrace it. His once-absentee father on the show initially tried to butch him up by suggesting a football toss but the family set him straight real quick and lately, he's been coming around. There was a touching scene on a subway whewre Justin is singing, some onlooking mock him, and the dad let's them have it!
"I was very happy about that it was going that way," Mark says. "Cutting to the chase and have him accept Justin early on, I thought that it was great. I'm loving what's going on right now in the episodes."
Most people would assume that character of Justin is gay but producers said at the Television Academy event that his sexuality will not be addressed for now which means no boyfriends for Justin any time soon!.
But just letting Justin be Justin is making a difference to a lot of real-life Justins out there.
"A lot of the fan mail that I've gotten has been from teenagers probably 13-18 saying, 'Thank you so much for letting me be who I am and not be afraid to express myself and not care about what anybody thinks," Mark says. "I think there are not a lot of characters on television like Justin that aren't the typical boy, not the athlete or something like that. So I think Justin's character, and 'Ugly Betty' for that matter, will change the way people think of life. To be more thankful for what you have and that you fit in - if you fit in. None of the characters - Justin, Betty - none of them fit in. They're all outcasts."