For actor David Blue, who landed the role of photographer Cliff St. Paul, the boyfriend of Marc St. James (Michael Urie) on ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” life is rosy – downright pink in fact.

Blue has garnered praise for his turn as Cliff, a regular ’mo who would rather drink a 12-pack of beer than worry himself with six-pack abs. His character is a refreshing change of pace from television’s stereotypical gays.

The Gay and Lesbian Times chatted with the down-to-earth Long Island-born actor, who has a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting and musical theatre, was a recipient of a scholarship to the esteemed British Academy of Dramatic Arts, is self-taught on the guitar and piano, and is a champion swing dancer.

“‘Ugly Betty’ has definitely given me a different profile than any other show I’ve worked on, which is great,” he said. “It’s (also) meeting all of the people involved in the project. Because the people on the show, and I am talking cast and crew, are just amazing people – everyone’s been so friendly, warm and welcoming, I couldn’t ask for a better show to be working on.”

He’s also thrilled with the audience’s and critics’ reaction to Cliff.

“I was so blown away and humbled by the way people reacted to the character, and actually, as great as it is, I also feel incredible pressure to keep that up,” he said. “You know you expect good and bad reviews for everything you do, and everyone’s been so incredible about the role of Cliff. Now I joke with my friends, ‘Well, nowhere to go but down from here.’

“I love it, and I’m hoping it’s something that I’m going to be able to continue to do, and especially with the help of the writers, when they come back to work,” he said. “It’s funny because I’ve heard one or two people say, ‘He’s not gay! There’s nobody like that in the world.’ And then I saw 20 other people pounce on them and say, ‘What are you talking about? I have friends exactly like Cliff!’ It was great, it was almost like vindication – I love that people are seeing this in their real lives.”

Even though Blue is straight, he sees the value Cliff has for all audiences.

“It’s nice to able to make people feel like, ‘Oh, it’s OK to be me,’” he said. “And anything I can do to contribute to that is great, because I spent a large amount of my life going, ‘Oh! It’s OK to be me!’ You have to be reminded of that sometimes, especially with the images that we have coming out on TV.”

His sexuality aside, Blue was drawn to the role.

“Honestly, the role was great,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me – and this sounds like a cliché – if the role appeals to me and the writing is good, even if the character is gay, straight, or transsexual, I mean it’s just a great role.

“Especially with this, there were three things I loved when I first read it,” he said. “One was that it was an opportunity for me to be this catalyst that allowed Michael Urie to be shown more; and I think he’s an amazing character and an amazing actor.

“Two, was I get to show the world that not all gay men are like – and I’m saying this because I have a friend on the spin-off show – that they are not all ‘Dante’s Cove.’ They’re not all six-foot tall and eight packs – not even six packs – blond guys.

“And the third thing is in the script for the original role, was a scene at the elevator where Cliff stands up to Marc,” he said. “And I loved that he came back and he was like, ‘Wait a minute! This is not OK. I’m interested in you, there’s no reason you should deny that you are interested in me. This is chemistry that two people have, and we owe it to ourselves to explore.’ I love that he did that!”

As far as Blue’s character becoming a regular fixture at Mode Magazine, the actor’s fingers are firmly crossed that a resolution is reached with the Writer’s Guild of America, which is currently on strike.

“Well, when I first got cast, it was for three episodes, possibly more,” Blue said. “And we’ve already shot the fourth, so that’s always a good sign. With writers, I don’t know how much of it is in their heads already, how much they figure out while they are at work. They’ve all implied to me that there is a chance that I’ll come back.

“I know there’s another hard part, because technically, I am a love interest,” he summarized. “I do work at the magazine, which is great, but I don’t know, it all depends on the relationship that Marc and Cliff have. There’s a lot of ifs, but the impression that I’ve gotten from a lot of people involved with the show is that there’s a chance I’ll be coming back, which I would love.”

Blue’s career before “Betty” was comprised mostly of theater and film roles, before he gave television a shot.

“I was always drawn to TV and film. I was that kid that watched as much TV as possible – I never thought in a million years I’d be able to get into it,” he said. “I wanted something new; I’m one of those weirdoes who will always crave something new. If I’m afraid of something then its like, ‘OK, it’s time to do it.’ It was just a different world, and it took me awhile to get used to it.”

His appearance on “Veronica Mars” listed the actor as “beefy resident,” and Blue was quick to point out it’s not only the starlets’ weight that’s held up for scrutiny.

“It can be harrowing, it really can,” he said. “It seems like I’m living this backward Hollywood existence, and, knock on wood, it continues,” Blue said. “I was up for ‘Ugly Betty,’ and I was a little bit heavy, but I think they wanted someone a little bit heavier than I was. So, I started eating like a madman! And, I stopped going to the gym for a little bit, and as soon as I did that, I’ve actually been going up for more roles than I used to.

“Which is completely the opposite in my career before ‘Ugly Betty.’ I would go up for stuff, and I would just be turned down constantly, because I was a little bit heavier than what they wanted,” Blue said. “And, I see that happen to a lot of actor friends – you’re either the leading man or the really fat friend that makes jokes. It’s rough because it’s true that it does exist, the perception out there that you have to be this perfect stereotype.”

But, as is the case with Cliff, Blue knows stereotypes can be broken, and he hopes shows like “Betty” pave the way for a greater understanding of the human condition.

“I’m hoping that during our lifetime, we’ll actually be able to see not only acceptance – it’s funny, but it’s not about acceptance, but everyone going, ‘We’re just people,’” Blue said. “That’s not a matter of acceptance. Acceptance makes it sound like you’re saying that it’s OK to be whatever you are, as if it were a bad thing.

“There’s no reason to go, ‘You love this type of person, or this color person, or this sexuality of person – and how dare you!’ Well, you love them and can’t that just be OK?”