Michael Urie On Miss America, Betty White

Ugly Betty’s Michael Urie hosts the premiere of Miss America, Reality Check tonight at 10pm EST.  I’ve been really looking forward to this one, and I’m secretly rooting for Miss Tennessee.  For those of you keeping score, she is the one directly behind Urie in the photo.  (Don’t forget, you can vote for your favorite, starting tonight, at the official site)

Entertainment Weekly has a great interview with Urie.  He talks about “being” Marc, being ON MARC, and his adoration for Betty White.  We have some excerpts here.

EW: Do you find it hard for people to separate you from Marc?
It’s actually a really nice compliment. It means that I’m doing something right. People often assume that I’m mean and they want me to be mean, like him. Usually women want me to be their friend. They want to be my Amanda. That’s fun. But generally, I’m not like him in those ways. I’m not mean, and I’m not at all fashionable. Everything I’ve learned about fashion, I’ve learned from Marc.

I’ve also heard America Ferrera say these sort of things (about people not being able to separate her from her character).   As far as his duties on MARC:

So the reality show leads up to the live Miss America pageant. What will you actually be doing in your role as host?
I’m kinda like Seacrest: I present the challenges and I announce who’s doing well and who’s not doing well. I hang out with them. I don’t stay with them. I don’t sleep in the house with them! I offered, but there’s some kind of rule. [Laughs] Fifty-two girls and one guy…

He offered to stay in the house? 

 He also talks more about how the show is going to remake what it means to be Miss America:

What kind of challenges will the girls face? Does this prep them for the big night?
I can’t tell you what the challenges are, but every challenge has something to do with what’s going to be expected of them at the live Miss America pageant. They learn about the new style of Miss America. This year, instead of just parading across the stage, it’s all runway. When they come out in evening gowns, they’re runway models. And in their bathing suits, they’re runway models. There’s a big less-is-more feeling this year. We kept saying ”make-under” instead of ”makeover.” The advisory board stresses bringing down the hair and doing less.

I LOVE this exchange about Betty White!

Betty White was a guest star on the last episode of Betty that aired. Did you get to spend much time with her?
I did, and I, in fact, crashed a scene with her!  … I wasn’t originally scripted to be in that scene, but I crashed it because I wanted to work with her! It’s such a fun-loving group that the hair and makeup people will be like, ”Sure, yeah, we’ll get you done up. Whatever.” They pulled something for me to wear, and I just sort of waltzed on, and I said, ”What if I stand here?” The fashion TV correspondent is talking to Betty. ”Betty, you’re an animal activist, TV legend, friend to gays everywhere, I love you.” And I just said, ”I love you too!” or something like that. The writers were like, why don’t you just throw this in?

…She said at one point, ”Can you believe how lucky I am to still be working?” And we were like, ”You mean, how lucky we are that you’re working with us?” I mean, we’ve had some cool guest stars. But for me, that one sort of takes the cake. Betty White is a national treasure and a comic genius! To watch her rehearse a bit with a mirror, how fascinating! She’s such a pro. It was an absolute treat to get to work with her. Never before in a read-through has an actor gotten applause after a scene in the middle of the read-through.

There is so much more in the original interview.  Check it out!