Tony Plana, the softy of a dad in the hit ABC series Ugly Betty, likes to joke that in a career spanning more than three decades, he’s played every Latino stereotype except a pregnant teenager.
“I’ve played guys on both sides of the law, criminals and cops, prosecutors, soldiers—in many ways, a lot of stereotypical macho Latino guys,” says Plana.
But as Ignacio Suarez, single parent to Betty (America Ferrera) and her big sister Hilda (Ana Ortiz), Plana gets to bust stereotypes. He’s a Hispanic father who cares for his brood, cheering from home base as his girls try to take New York by storm.
“My wife says it’s the role that has come closest to who I really am,’’ says Cuba-born Plana, who has appeared in more than 60 films, including JFK, An Officer and a Gentleman, and El Norte, and in television series such as The West Wing and 24.
His wife, Mexican-American actress Ada Maris, who has starred in Nickelodeon’s The Brothers Garcia, says, “There’s something about his tone [as Ignacio] that’s very similar to what he sounds like when he’s talking to our kids.” The couple has two children: Alejandro, 17, and Isabel, 13.
Plana takes that nurturing side of him to the set, says Ferrera: “He brings so much humanity to the role, you can see where Betty gets her pure heart and compassionate spirit.”
Besides Plana’s role as a parent, another role defines him—an immigrant kid, raised in Miami and Los Angeles, who knows how tough it is in a new culture. That’s why he’s made it his life’s work to smooth the process for Latino youths.
He co-founded and serves as executive artistic director of the East L.A. Classic Theatre, which puts on modern bilingual productions of the classics for students, and helped start Beyond Borders: Literacy Through Performing Arts.
“We collaborate with language arts teachers, who ask the kids to write their own plays,” says Plana, 55.
But it’s the Classic Theatre’s annual Shakespeare production that’s the real showstopper. More than 20,000 kids a year see it, says Plana. This year’s play, which Plana directs, is a mariachi version of Much Ado About Nothing.
Plana says he helped found the theater group because he felt a duty: “I saw how hard people were struggling to make it, to access services, learn English. What I had to contribute was acting, which has everything to do with language skills.”
Says Diana Campoamor, president of Hispanics in Philanthropy, which recently honored Plana for his work with kids, “Tony is a giver, a giver of time, talent, and treasure. He crosses borders—and generations—with his work.”
The power of the youth groups is also the power of Betty, says Plana. “It’s such an important thing that [Betty] exists on TV. She’s a U.S. Latina who is a college graduate, who doesn’t have an accent, who has the courage to make it in the corporate world.”
Based on Yo soy Betty, la fea, the successful Colombian telenovela, Ugly Betty made its own mark in its first season, garnering the Golden Globe for best comedy series. But while it’s a comedy, the show doesn’t shy away from big issues. Midway through the first season, Ignacio told his daughters that he’s an undocumented immigrant with a hidden past.
Says Plana: “All of a sudden, you have this guy who has been very Papi Knows Best, and you reveal this dark side. It really allows for an exploration of the very controversial issue of immigration. I’m hoping Betty will help educate people about this and help contribute to more compassionate solutions.”
Chime In: Beyond Immigration
Like Tony Plana and his character on Ugly Betty, others have been forever changed by their own family’s immigration story. |
| Doria Saavedra, 50; Bronx, Nueva York; real estate agent |
| Guatemalean |
"Inside the home [my children] speak Spanish because that’s part of my roots. [But] the language barrier had an impact. Administrators at my daughter’s school wanted to transfer her because they said she was slow, and she wasn’t. It was the language. I fought for her and she was able to stay in that school." |
| José de la Isla, 56 years; Nationally syndicated columnist for Scrips Howard and Hispanic Link, and former anthropologist |
| Mexican American |
"I grew up in the Southwest, resentful that positive stereotypes of Latinos were nonexistent. My academic work in Mexico opened up my anthropological and writing careers. I saw a nation run by Latinos, [yet in the United States] there were virtually no Latino elected officials." |
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| Sandra Rodriguez, 46; Arlington, Virginia; social worker |
| Salvedorean |
"My mother came to this country in 1969. Her leaving us in El Salvador with our father affected me since I was the youngest and the only girl. After high school, my mother sent for me. We were like strangers. It’s been really hard to be friends." |
