Justin Suarez is a fictional character on the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty (2006–2010). Portrayed by actor Mark Indelicato, Justin is raised by his mother, Hilda; both of them live with his aunt, Betty, and grandfather, Ignacio. A musical theatre and fashion enthusiast, Ugly Betty follows adolescent Justin as he matures and navigates school, while exploring his sexual orientation. Although the character exhibits stereotypically gay interests and mannerisms, the show does not address his sexuality until its fourth season, despite constant speculation and support from his family.
Justin was created by series creator Silvio Horta, who partially based the character on his own upbringing as a gay teenager raised by a single mother. The character was created to serve as a comedic foil and advisor to Betty. Deciding Justin was too young to be sexualized, the show's producers opted to leave his sexual orientation undisclosed for much of the series. Indelicato was 11 years-old when he was cast as Justin, having auditioned for the role while he was performing in a school musical production. Justin's coming out storyline mirrored Indelicato's personal life; the actor was confronting his own sexual orientation while his character was preparing to come out on the series. Instead of immediately coming out to his family, Justin confides in Betty's openly gay co-worker Marc St. James, who helps him cope with high school bullies and dating. Justin finally affirms that he is gay by dancing with his new boyfriend, Austin, at his mother's wedding at the end of the series.
Before Justin came out, Ugly Betty fans heavily speculated about the character's sexual orientation for most of the show's duration. One of the youngest gay characters on television at the time, Justin was well received by critics and audiences, who praised the subtlety of his coming out storyline. Critics were also very receptive towards Justin's acceptance by his family, which was welcomed as a refreshing representation of a Latino American family, as well as his friendship with Marc. Several media publications have since cited Justin among the greatest LGBT characters in television history.
Role Ugly Betty revolves around main character Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), an unglamorous young woman, and the challenges she faces working at the fashion magazine MODE. Justin Suarez is introduced as Betty's 11-year-old nephew, the flamboyant and fashion-obsessed son of her older sister, Hilda (Ana Ortiz). Justin is thrilled when Betty is hired as the personal assistant of Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius), editor-in-chief of MODE. Originally estranged from his father Santos (Kevin Alejandro), Justin reunites with him when Hilda begins to date him once again. Santos originally struggles to accept Justin's effeminate ways, but their relationship gradually improves. Although Justin's mother, aunt and grandfather Ignacio (Tony Plana) assume that Justin could potentially be gay, his sexual orientation goes largely unaddressed, apart from occasional hints due to his behavior and interests. Despite his family's support, Justin opts to keep his attraction to boys secret from them, instead choosing to confide in Betty's openly gay co-worker Marc St. James (Michael Urie), who becomes a friend, mentor and brotherly figure.
As Justin matures during the fourth season, he struggles to accept his own sexuality. He befriends a jock who shares his interest in musicals, only for the jock to publicly dismiss Justin when the latter's athletic friends tease him about their friendship. Justin is forced to enroll in public school after he is rejected by the performing arts high school of his choice. Bullied by his schoolmates, he is disparagingly crowned homecoming queen, which he embraces by bestowing the crown and title upon his mother. Marc advises Justin to befriend his school's cheerleaders for protection from bullies.
Marc guides Justin towards gradually coming out of the closet. Originally, Justin briefly asserts his "heterosexuality", pretending to like his classmate Lily, whom he kisses in a school production, before accepting his feelings for male friend Austin (Ryan McGinnis) upon kissing him shortly afterward. Hilda's new fiancé, Bobby Talercio (Adam Rodriguez), discovers them kissing but promises not to tell Justin's family. Stopping his family from holding a surprise coming out party for Justin before he comes out himself, Marc advises them to simply allow Justin to come out to them at his own pace. Shortly after beginning to date Austin, Justin finally decides to come out as gay at his mother's wedding in the penultimate episode of the series. Instead of publicly announcing his sexuality, Justin quietly leads Austin onto the dancefloor, where they dance among his family.
Development
Creation and casting According to the show's early stage directions, Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta conceived Justin "as an effeminate 11- or 12-year-old" boy. Although the show originally opted to not address Justin's sexual orientation, Horta – who was gay himself – decided the character should experience a gradual journey as he matures. However, Horta did not write Justin with the intention of creating television's first gay child character, but simply as "a humorous foil for Betty", serving as a young fashion-forward advisor for the main character. Because Justin and his struggles with his sexuality were partially inspired by Horta's own life and upbringing, the creator was particularly fond of the character and approached his coming out delicately. Specifically, Justin and Hilda's relationship is based on Horta's experience growing up with a single mother. Having come out to his own Cuban-American family at age 19, Horta saw some aspects of himself in Justin, elaborating, "Growing up, I certainly felt like an outsider at times. But there's this sweet innocence in Justin that sees the positive". Similar to Justin, Horta also preferred the arts over sports, particularly excelling in writing, although he described himself as "never quite as flamboyant or as into fashion or, you know, musical theater” as the character he created.
Justin is portrayed by American actor Mark Indelicato, who was 11 years old when he was cast in the role. Passionate about performing from a young age, the actor answered a casting call for the character who was described as "not a buff typical Latino boy", while performing in his school's production of the musical Forty-five Minutes from Broadway. Apart from commercials and theatre, Indelicato had only had two guest television roles before being cast in Ugly Betty, which would become his breakthrough performance. Describing Justin as a great character, Indelicato was drawn to the role due to its inspirational arc. Horta recalled that Indelicato nailed his audition, crediting the actor with making Justin "a real character and a real performance" while identifying him as one of the show's best early surprises. Indelicato believes the writers initially did not quite know what to do with Justin's character, since he was originally envisioned as little more than the show's "funny, flamboyant, kind of questionable kid", created mainly "to counter Betty in a humorous and touching way". In fact, Indelicato was surprised when actress America Ferrera, who portrays Betty, suggested that Justin might be gay by saying he reminds her of her own gay nephew.
Agreeing that the pre-adolescent character was too young to sexualize, Horta decided Justin's sexual orientation should not factor into the series until much later, believing this would in turn support the show's message that a character's sexuality is inconsequential. Instead, he described the character in early episodes as simply "a kid who’s different than other boys", and confirmed that, despite unconditional support from his family, "we’re going to see some conflict as his father sort of comes back into his life". Ugly Betty's parent network, ABC, would typically avoid providing a direct answer when asked about Justin's sexual orientation by the media. In 2007, Indelicato told a reporter that Justin's orientation is unconfirmed, and the decision "has nothing to do with me." In a 2009 interview, Horta confirmed that Justin's sexuality would finally be addressed in the then-upcoming fourth season. Justin originally denies being gay to his family in the fourth season episode "Backseat Betty". Horta opted to incorporate denial into Justin's coming out storyline because the writers wanted the character to gradually come to terms with his sexual identity over the course of a year, explaining, "when he says that, it’s really the beginning of telling the story ... It gives us a place to go to. He’s gonna be struggling with his identity, and that’s part of it that’s very realistic and relatable. Not really knowing who you are or what you are." Agreeing that Justin requires some assistance from his friends and family to come out, Indelicato considers the writers' decision to forge a friendship between his character and Marc to be "one of the best moves the writers made in terms of Justin's development". Actor Michael Urie, who plays Marc, concurred that a positive friendship between an older and younger gay man was a rare dynamic never conveyed on television prior to Ugly Betty. Despite viewer speculation that Justin has a crush on Marc, Horta insisted that Justin's admiration is platonic and solely resembles that of an "older brother he wishes he had". Horta said although audiences are welcome to their own interpretations of their relationship, "the last thing we need for the show right now is a [romantic] relationship between a 15-year-old and this older guy."
Indelicato avoided reading Ugly Betty forums online, in which fans often wrote unkind comments about his character. Indelicato was exploring his own sexual orientation during Justin's coming out arc prior to coming out himself, personally identifying with the storyline. Despite crediting the series with helping him cope with his own coming out, Indelicato claims he did not commit to the storyline for himself, but rather "for everyone out there that doesn't have a person to talk to ... [we] went into [filming] saying this is history". Whereas Horta was concerned about pushing Indelicato's acting "too far" because he and his character were going through similar experiences simultaneously, Indelicato's female co-stars went to great lengths to ensure the actor felt comfortable on set, which Ferrera likened to Justin's family hosting a surprise coming out party for him. The actor was nervous to film his character's first kiss because he was unsure if it would be well-received upon airing. Despite concerns that the show would treat Justin's coming out as a "dramatic breakdown crying moment", Indelicato ultimately praised the writers for approaching Justin's self-discovery in a graceful, unclichéd manner, hoping the scene would encourage closeted youth to be themselves among their family and friends. In a 2016 interview, Indelicato revealed that he had not yet realized "the impact that the story would have on other young people or on people who wished that they had a character like that on when they were going through that process." Ferrera complimented the maturity with which Indelicato approached Justin's material and surrounding press as a young actor. In 2021, the actor said he did not realize how important his portrayal and character became until he was 25, and is grateful to have been a part of changing the perception of queer people on television "over the last 15 years".
Characterization and themes