Interview with Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman
Lynette's been through so much in the course of the show. She seems to have come to a place now in her life where things have levelled out a bit. Which is more fun for you? When it's in complete chaos?
Felicity: I really did enjoy back when she was - first and second season when it was the small kids and that kind of - I mean, we mined that shaft and we can't go back there again. But I did enjoy that craziness just because I thought it was really true. And hadn't been done before.
She was a good Ritalin mum?
Felicity: Yeah, she was good Ritalin mom. (Laughter.) I know someone who takes their kid's Ritalin.
What did you think when you heard that what Marc had in
store for Lynette this season?
Felicity: I was concerned that it was areas that we'd been over
before. I was like, really, we're going back into the mother stuff?
But then I realised that even though - even though the landscape is
familiar, we actually hadn't been in that patch before. Because she
hasn't been pregnant before and you haven't seen that thing of
going, God, what am I going to do with two more kids. Where it's
going to go from here, I don't know. But so far it has been virgin
territory. And I really appreciated that. And I think it's
something that hasn't been said before on the show.
Did you ...
Felicity: I actually have many friends who are pregnant right now
who watched the first two episodes and went, That's my life. That's
my life.
I was going to say, did you relate it all to that feeling
ever of like, Oh, my God, how am going to do this?
Felicity: With my kids?
Yes.
Felicity: Yeah. Sure. Absolutely. That scene that I did with Teri -
or that Teri did with me, depending on who you're talking to. My
scene that Teri was ... (Laughter) ... was very true. It's a scene
in the hospital where she goes, I don't know how I'm going to do
this; I'm so incredibly old; I don't know if it's going to ruin my
marriage; I don't know if it's going to ruin my relationship with
my children. So, yeah, I can totally relate to that.
My second kid I went, Oh, no. I called up my mom and went, What
have I done? She went, Oh, dear, it's going to be great. Now this
is a woman who had eight children so... (Laughter.)
This season Lynette is pregnant again, we have a new family
and there's a mystery about this family, we have crime again. Do
you think in this sixth season we - the TV show - still has energy
to go on and on or do you think things are kind of
repeating?
Felicity: I don't think we can tell yet. I think just two episodes
in that you've seen and we just finished our sixth episode. I don't
know. So far it has not repeated. The format is similar. You know,
you go dun-dun-dun and the mystery. And you go, Oh, this seems
familiar. But how it's going to evolve and if it catches you, I
think it will and I don't think we can make a decision as to
whether it's just plowing the same old ground again.
There seems to be a new energy though particularly with
what's happening with your character and with the new
neighbours.
Felicity: Yeah, there is. My character, that's new energy. We'll
have to just see. I mean, I've been pleased with all the episodes
I've acted. I haven't felt like, Oh, boy, here we go again. There
are places where I feel like possibly we're spinning our wheels at
a table read and then when it actually gets down to shooting, the
writers have fixed it.
But, you know, you can't get away from it's the same people, we
live on the same street and you're now with them for six years. So
it's not like a martian is going to come down. I mean, we are
people. There is a limit to the experiences we can have. But I
think like any television show, you want to watch familiar - you
know, we don't need another doctor show and yet we all tuned in for
Grey's Anatomy because what you're watching is the characters. And
what you can repeat is a genre and what you can't repeat is a
voice. And Marc Cherry has a very specific voice.
What is the new family bringing to the show?
Felicity: An accent. No. (Laughter.) They're bringing - it's kind
of an earthy witness protection programme flavour to it. Whereas,
you know, Edie's husband, Dave, he would sort of kill you without
you knowing. But these people will come right up to you and - it
seems like they'll come right up to you and slit your throat. So
it's more of a direct danger, I would say. And a different flavour.
They're - we haven't had those kind of people on the street
before.
What's lost from the show now that Edie's
dead?
Felicity: Gosh, well, we miss - I miss Nicollette. She was cool.
She's just a really wonderful woman and a cool chick. And I think
what she brought to the show was a certain vinegar, a certain
little spice. And it was a wonderful addition and they're going to
have to find that kind of thing elsewhere in a different form, of
course.
What do you think is going to happen with Lynette and Tom
this season? They've been through so many different times in their
marriage that we've watched over the years. What do you think this
new chapter is going to show?
Felicity: I keep wanting something wild to happen. You know,
that they decide to join the circus or they take up, you know,
underwater basket weaving. But something that breaks out of the
home or just the office. So I'd love something like that to happen.
Or I don't know that they actually do split up and he has another
house and, you know - 'cause the pressures of a baby ...
often marriages split up right around then.
Is this pregnancy going to continue the entire season? Is
there a timeline for when she's going to give birth or -
Felicity: Yes, but I don't know what it is. I'm now on my fifth
week of the pregnancy. But, you know, time is fluid on the show, as
you all know. Look. You're five years older! Really? When did that
happen? So I'm not sure when she's going to give birth.
How's the atmosphere of this season going to
be?
Felicity: That's a question for Marc Cherry. I don't know ... I
would hope that it's going to be the same combo of the light and
the dark 'cause that's what makes the show - this show work, is
that it gets whacky, funny and sort of over-the-top funny and then
it's grounded in a lot of reality and possibly darkness. But last
year was pretty dark. Didn't you think? With Dave.
Oh, yeah.
Felicity: Yeah. Psycho guy.
As an actor is it hard to switch gears like that? Because
as you say, you go from over-the-top funny to some really tragic
scenes.
Felicity: I find it hard. I mean, everyone has their strengths.
Mine is not the comedy. I find it difficult.
Really?
Felicity: I'm always stumbling on the comedic scenes. Because
they're written so specifically and with such a specific sort of
take on them. You know, it's - it's a very specific kind of comedy
that that's not my forte. So I'm still struggling with it six years
later.
And yet you pull it off so well.
Felicity: I think that's editing, but you're very kind.
(Laughter.)
Are you still enjoying very much being on the show and the
stuff you get to do?
Felicity: I just love it. Every week I get to - I'm challenged.
Every week I get to do something that I feel like I do well. Every
week I do something that I fail at. I still feel that I'm working
at my craft. One does get tired of one self after six years.
(Laughter.)
Like here I am as Lynette again. I'm sure people are tired of - you
know, my expressions are 1 to 10 and this year I'm - this time I'm
using 3, 6 and 4. Woo-hoo! But other than being tragically tired of
myself, yes, I just love it.
Can you remember like when you first set out to be an
actress could you imagine being here now and what inspired you to
get to this point?
Felicity: I never - I didn't think I would do television. It just
wasn't - I didn't watch television growing up. It wasn't part of my
gig. So I thought I'd be doing plays and, God-willing, movies. So
this is completely unexpected and not what I'd thought I'd be
doing. And yet couldn't be happier.
Do you watch television now? I mean, has your opinion
changed over television? And what do you watch?
Felicity: I do watch television now. When I'm not going to bed at
8:30pm, if possible. Yeah, I think there's some wonderful stuff on
television. Horrific stuff as well. But wonderful stuff on
television.
Such as?
Felicity: Brilliant acting. Friday Night Lights. Friday Night
Lights just took my breath away. The writing, the acting, the
camera work, how they put it together. The Office is fantastic. I
watched Damages for Glenn Close. So there's some wonderful work
getting done and wonderful acting.
And when you think that they have to push out a script - and I use
those words specifically - push out a script every eight days, you
just want to put a gun to your head. I mean, eight days they have
to turn out a script that works. And so it's just infinitely
impressive. And when you look at actors and think they have - you
know, we get our final scripts in the chairs. And relearning
something is much more difficult.
So you get the script in the hair and makeup chair. You're figuring
it out - because the writers are working so hard, you're figuring
it out and you have an hour, an hour and a half to kind of work it
out. So that there's brilliant acting anywhere is
astounding.
So the horrific television would be the reality shows and
so on or ...
Felicity: I don't like - well, God, I'm an actor. Of course I don't
like the reality shows. I hate them. (Laughter.) But - well,
there's also some horrific, you know, scripted shows.
Like what?
Felicity: I'm not telling you. (Laughter.) 'Cause I hope they hire
me in the future.
You mentioned about dreaming of being - you said, you know,
knock on wood maybe movies. As we've seen, you've had some
extraordinary roles. Are you going to get the chance to do any more
film work?
Felicity: Well, we only get five weeks off and, you know, unless
you guys talk to Steve McPherson it's not like he goes, you know,
take those three months, you know, for that movie. I lost a bunch
of movies that they just won't let you off and rightly so. I mean,
they've invested a heck a lot of money in the show. And since we
have five weeks off, you have to find the project that shoots in
that time frame, that can shoot you in out in that time frame, that
has the money and the cast. And these days it's harder to finance a
film more than ever. And if it's a big studio film, they're not
going to move it around for little 'ole me. So it's tough.
When do you relax then?
Felicity: Well, I didn't work last hiatus. God damn it!
(Laughter.)
How are you handling the juggling? Is it getting easier
with your kids getting a bit older?
Felicity: It is. Now that I can turn to my kids and go, put on your
shoes and they actually go put on their shoes. (Laughter.) Get in
the car and they do. It's so much easier. And my husband's been
home lately, which is just such a boon. So I'm handling the
juggling without the level of craziness it was before. I can't say
I'm juggling it well, but it's not that sort of triage feeling of
"God!" You know, at 6 o'clock - if I get off at around 6 o'clock
what I used to do is wait around because I didn't want to do the
put-down. (Laughter.) Oh, honey, we worked till late. I'm really
sorry. (Laughter.) But - but now I can go home and it's actually
all right.
During the hiatus do you get to get out of Hollywood? Do
something different? Like what would you like to do?
Felicity: Well, I'm from Colorado so I go there to visit my family.
We spend most of the time there and we went to a dude ranch and
we're riding through the Big Horn Mountains, which is really fun.
Do you ride?
A little bit, yeah.
Felicity: So, yeah, we sort of toot around here and there. But
mainly we go home to Colorado because I don't get to see it that
much before.
But if you did have a movie role, what would be like one
great role that you'd - that you aspire to get? A dream role
maybe.
Felicity: I would love to do a western. I would love to do, you
know, a period piece. I'd love to do a period piece. And I'd like
to produce. So those are the kind of things that I'm looking at
doing.
