Ugly Betty alum Mark Indelicato plays “Blair” on the new Freeform TV series Dead of Summer which premieres in less than an hour on the network.
In this — sadly the last of our string of interviews before the Dead of Summer premiere — we spoke to the young actor about his new character and show as well as his reaction to his groundbreaking Ugly Betty story in which his character “Justin” paved the way for LGBTQ youth on shows that air now like The Fosters. Enjoy:
What can you say about your character from Dead of Summer?
I would say that Blair is kind of the quintessential gay best friend. He’s snarky, he’s fun, he’s fashionable, and he’s a loyal friend.
What did you think of what was fashionable in 1989?
Well, I wear a lot of band t-shirts [on the show] and a lot of, like, mesh shorts, which I thought were quite cool. The Eighties aren’t really my era, but, you know.
Your character Justin from Ugly Betty kind of paved the way for characters on Freeform like the ones on The Fosters. Does that make you feel special at all?
I suppose. I don’t think it necessarily makes me feel special; I think that Justin was a character that was written — I didn’t create him, in the sense of what was written and the storylines that were portrayed, but I do feel very fortunate to have maybe paved the way for LGBTQ characters that are portrayed today. There are a lot of great actors that have been quite brave and that have been quite open with portraying characters…. for me, Justin hit very close to home, but for other people, those characters happen, and we need all of the representations that we could possibly get.
Will your character get a love interest in Season 1?
Well, we’re hoping so…
Are you hoping that he does?
Yes! Of course!
What do you think people will like the most about Dead of Summer?
I think that people will like the intersection of character study and the relationships that are fostered, but also, this element of supernatural horror. It is quite a fantastic juxtaposition, and I think that people will respond quite well to it.
You can watch video of the interview below. Don’t miss the Dead of Summer series premiere TONIGHT (June 28) on Freeform — you can read our other interviews related to the show here.
