Over a decade after Ugly Betty came to an end, Mark Indelicato is speaking out about his game-changing role and how he’s finally come to terms with his time on the series.

Mark played Justin Suarez, a fashion-loving teen who came out as gay in the show’s final season. Having a blatantly queer-coded young character on the show, who did eventually come out and didn’t just go through a quick phase for the sake of ratings, was a rarity on TV at the time, and the sincerity with which his storyline was treated helped pave the groundwork for future shows to be inclusive of young LGBTQ+ characters.

But as Mark, who is gay himself, was figuring out his own sexuality at the time, and because he was so young during the show's run, he had a difficult time appreciating what the show was doing.

“I think that for a long time I ran away from it because it was embarrassing to me,” he told PinkNews. “For a certain period of time, I was the only one, and of course, when you’re the only one, you automatically become the poster child for something. Even still to this day, I don’t want to be the poster child for anything. I didn’t sign up to be a role model to anyone.”

The actor recently detailed to People how he tried to leave acting behind after Ugly Betty wrapped, opting to go to New York University and study international relations, with the goal of working for the United Nations. But with a little distance, he not only came to realize that he wanted to go back to acting, but also just what Justin meant to young people during the run of the show.

“At the time, I don’t think that I understood exactly what Justin would mean to so many people and the kind of legacy of the show in opening so many doors for subsequent projects and representation,” he said. “Because I mean thinking back, 2006 to 2010, it was so taboo to have a young gay kid on TV, for a minor. It’s interesting to see how so much has changed over the last 15 years partially because of Ugly Betty.”

Now, Mark is tackling another gay role for One Day at a Time creator Gloria Calderón Kellett on her new show, With Love.

But after looking back on Ugly Betty with a new perspective, he isn’t ruling out a revival of that beloved show in the future. 

“I think I’m finally proud of what I’ve done,” he said.