The dark side of “I am Betty, the ugly one”, according to Ana María Orozco

One of the Colombian soap operas most successful of all time, without a doubt, was “Yo soy Betty, la fea”. This fiction by the screenwriter Fernando Gaitán became all the rage since its premiere in 1999. However, recently this recognition was transferred to Netflix, where the television program was one of the most watched, until it was removed from the platform.

In the television project, the cast was led by Ana Maria Orozco, Jorge Enrique Abello, Mario Duarte and other renowned soap opera actors. These interpreters enjoyed the prestige and recognition that the television series offered them at the time. However, not everything was ‘rosy’ during their recordings. At least, this was made clear by its leading actress.

Next, in the following lines, you know what it was the dark side of the successful Colombian production “Yo soy Betty, la fea”according to Ana Maria Orozco.

HOW WAS THE CASTING OF “YO SOY BETTY, LA FEA”?

During an interview for the program “Bravissimo“, the actress Anna Maria Orozco He said that there was no need to reach the recording stage of the telenovela for him to encounter his first obstacle while participating in the production. For the interpreter, the difficulties arose from the casting stage.

“It was not easythe casting was divided into two parts: one was the ugly one and then the pretty one. It was not known how that change was going to be, it was very risky an ugly protagonist, but that was the difficult part. In the beautiful one they were already some divine women doing the casting, it was the part where they doubted and after rehearsals with other characters it was like what remained “said the interpreter.

In this way, the actress made the decision to characterize herself to interpret the ‘ugly’ version of Betty. For this, she remembers that she already came with an idea of ​​the character and that she made some brackets with aluminum foil.

“I remember that I arrived more or less with the idea of ​​the character and as I imagined it and it was staying. It is very clearly written so it was easy to get inspired (…) The job, one as an actor, is to do the search, it was an exercise and I enjoyed trying it. I came with the proposal, it stayed and then it was polished. I put together some brackets with aluminum foilbut I had that image”, he explained.

DID ANA MARÍA OROZCO ENJOY THE LONG DAYS RECORDING THE TELENOVELA?

After getting the role, a second major obstacle arose for the actress, this time during the filming of the fiction. In the same conversation, she revealed that could not enjoy the success of the telenoveladue to his tiredness from the long days of recording.

“At that moment we were shooting an average of 18 hours a daySaturdays and holidays, suddenly this ‘boom’ begins because they were already giving it outside and the madness begins, but we were stuck recording, we began to feel it. we were so tiredit was a year and ten months, the last few months we were almost on the air and we had to record at whatever time it was, the rest was little, I did not sleep well”narrated Anna Maria Orozco.

To add to the “nightmare” that she lived while recording the series, the interpreter said that she could not fulfill some responsibilities that were required of her and that the simple fact of going out on the street made it difficult for her.

“Unfortunately, everything that happened outside I did not receive it well because I I was working, stressed and dead tired. There were demands that I could not meet, I was exhausted a lot of that and it was very difficult not being able to go outside”revealed the Colombian.

HOW MUCH DID THE LEADING ACTRESS OF “YO SOY BETTY, LA FEA” EARN?

One would think that all the sacrifices and efforts of Anna Maria Orozco they would be rewarded with a salary commensurate with their work. However, this does not fit reality.

“If I tell you how much I earn, you die laughing. The channel is the one that has been enriched. People think that because you’re on TV you’re a millionaire. Even if you earn a lot of money, it is difficult to enjoy it because they kidnap you”expressed to “faces” in 2001.

Thus, according to “Week”, the Colombian would have received a salary equivalent to 444,000 Colombian pesoswhich at the time were two minimum salaries and which are equivalent to, approximately, 100 dollars. Later, his salary was increased to 1,000,000 pesos ($230 today).

WHAT DID THE ACTRESS SAY ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA AND MACCHISM IN “YO SOY BETTY, LA FEA”?

Over time, the actress also referred to some controversial moments in the series, in which situations charged with homophobia and machismo were normalized.

“The novel 20 years ago could have homophobic and sexist comments, it reflected what was happening in society and continues to happen. But I feel that this production made these situations visible, with a language of that moment, of course, today, of course, it would be in the critical eye”he stated in an interview with The country.