Christopher Gorham Talks About His Return to Ugly Betty
May 18, 2009 by Tom
Harper’s Island star Christopher Gorham says his return to Ugly Betty (this Thursday at 8/7c on ABC) was not entirely unexpected.
“I got a call from creator Silvio Horta. When I left the show the first time, he made it clear to me that he was hoping that I would be able to come back at some point. So it wasn’t a totally unexpected phone call. He wanted me to come back and do an episode near the end of the season and, of course, I was happy to do it.”
On his exit from the show, he says the responsible party was “the writers. It was a story problem. I always felt that Henry was kind of accidentally written off the show.” (I always had that feeling, too, like they backed themselves into a corner and said, “whoops”).
Gorham says, “Everybody got so excited about America Ferrera and I together, so the writers immediately tried to save that relationship for the long term on the show, and their way of doing that was to start throwing obstacles in the way to keep us apart. I think what they underestimated was deciding to give him a baby. I don’t think that they realized what that really meant.”
Apparently, something we discussed at Ugly Betty News during season 2 was discussed behind the scenes: “At first, there was a lot of talk that they wouldn’t make the baby Henry’s. That they’d make it Dr. Farkas’ or something. But they didn’t want to cop out and not make it his. So we had long conversations about how Henry could come back with the baby having left his girlfriend Charlie and be a very sympathetic single dad in New York and how that could be really interesting because Betty’s dad is a single dad, too. But as Season 2 was winding down and they started breaking stories for Season 3, I think they realized the show isn’t called ‘Ugly Betty and Henry.’ It’s ‘Ugly Betty’ and there’s a lot of other characters and to really service that single dad storyline you’d really have to spend a lot of time on it. It just wasn’t going to work.
More (including some interesting quotes about the S2 love triangle) after the jump.
About how his character changed at the end of season 2: “Yeah, at the same time they’re giving me this baby to keep me and Betty apart they also brought in Gio, to do that as well”, said Gorham. “So they had to make me a little dumber and make him great. It was very much to make people like Gio, to make this triangle work and make it believable. It just was not good for my job security.”
Shippers, please do not read this next quote from Gorham (about Betty choosing “herself”): “As a viewer, taking my life out of it, I was actually relieved. Because as an audience member and as a fan of the show I was bored of me. Me and Gio and all of her romantic stuff. Like seriously? I never dated that much. Who does that?”
How does Henry come back? “Henry has a new girlfriend, who remarkably looks like his old girlfriend. She’s an aerobics instructor so he’s going with her to New York for an aerobics convention, but he really wants to run into Betty, so he’s updating his Facebook page every five minutes, saying where he is at all times.”
Ha! I’ve done that before!
As for Charlie and the baby, “We talk about the baby. Charlie we don’t talk about. They’ve broken up. In my head, they’re not together. They were never going to be together. The whole point of going to Tucson was not to be together with her, it was to be there with his kid. It’s very Dr. Laura. I think Dr. Laura would like Henry.”
There is so much more at the original interview (hat tip Beatrice B). Check it out!
Image: Newscom
Wow. Just… wow. He’s said basically everything that I think went wrong/what was supposed to come of the Betty/Henry relationship. Especially how the writers threw in the baby as an obstacle and then kind of realized that there’s no getting over that. And hearing that they were thinking of keeping Henry as a single dad makes me sad, because that would’ve been great! Even if he and Betty weren’t together. *Sigh* Why’d the writers screw him up!? Ugh.
Ok, and this made me LOL:
“You don’t want Betty to be a mom to someone else’s kid, especially not this crazy bitch Charlie.”
HAHA
I love Henry’s character. I’m soooooooo over Matt. He’s like a blubbering blobbering fool. He’s always moaning and droaning about this and that. Yeah you are soo misunderstood right. Sad little rich boy. Betty is becoming intolerable. Maybe Henry will bring back some of the old “Betty” flair.
Wow even he knows they screwed him over LOL that baby storyline was just awful, it was a total S.2 downer. Whoever thought the baby should be his should be shot. I love Henry and I was so excited to see him back, especially since Matt is really annoying and Daniel is cheesy and boring now, but if Chris doesn’t even see how they can write him into the show, that’s very disappointing. I miss the cute nerdy-ness
I dont wanna see Henry again …. come on…
I really like Matt now… Why bring Henry? i hate that guy
SPOILER ALERT: ABC & YOUTUBE have posted 2 exclusive sneak peek videos from the season finale!
Here are the links if you AREN’T spoiler free:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNF6yU361j4&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugBe9Wf9RIY&feature=channel_page
Good, Mode was missing it’s resident hot geek
I couldn’t really tell from the interview but it doesn’t seem like they completely closed the door to the possibilty of him coming back for S. 4. Of course it’s seemingly impossible now with Nate, but I hope they can do something. They better not write him off as a jerk or I’ll be mad.
That good news about Christopher,I hope if Henry and Betty may stay together until 4 season or not,but not sure about if Betty and Matt may broke up cuz of Henry,never know.
You know this proves (again) that Horta is so clueless about the production and planning of this show. And it is somehow frustrating for us, viewers. I kind feel bad for Gorham. We had our suspicion that the writers were screwing his character all over season 2. But I thought it was intentional.. Not that it was just the result of bad strategy and foresight.
If this is what actors are thinking of the show. I am wondering if it’s Rodriguez the one who doesn’t want to play Gio. I am not surprised now they hired Freddy Rodriguez and they underestimated the impact his on the show (even if they hadn’t watered down Henry it was obvious that Rodriguez character would quickly win over fans). They dismiss ideas and make new ones randomly.
I am glad to see that fans aren’t the only ones upset by Betty’s love interest fest this season 3.
please I want to see Henry again!!!! How is possible that they took it out of the show!! He is the eternal betty love… don’t take out it completely… you don’t know the emotion that gave me to see it in the chapter 23 of the season 3… it is a sacrilege
Bring back Henry, the show isn’t the same without him.