Jesse Metcalfe was blissfully unaware of any on-set dramas that unfolded around him. In fact, the former "Desperate Housewives" star vehemently insisted that he remained "completely oblivious" to the rumored tensions simmering amongst his costars—a star-studded ensemble including Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Nicollette Sheridan, Marcia Cross, and Teri Hatcher—during his tenure as the teenage gardener, John Roland, in the ABC soap opera.
"There are countless tales of drama that transpired on set among some of our leading ladies," Jesse shared during a recent panel discussion, according to People. "I was mostly oblivious to it all, simply because I was overjoyed to be part of the show and fully immersed in every moment." At that juncture in his acting journey, the now 46-year-old fondly recalled being "ecstatic just to have a job."
"I had endured an entire pilot season without landing a single gig," he elaborated. "It was towards the end of that season when I auditioned for 'Desperate Housewives,' which was a recast, and surprisingly landed the role."
"I was merely riding the wave of success," he added, "as the show catapulted my career, and I was simply savoring every bit of it."
As for the real happenings behind the scenes of the hit ABC series? Though Jesse only featured in four seasons, all eight seasons were reportedly plagued with behind-the-scenes feuds.
Apart from the previously reported frictions among the female leads, Nicollette filed a $20 million lawsuit against creator Marc Cherry in 2010, shortly after her character was written out of the show, citing assault, battery, gender violence, and wrongful termination. Nicollette claimed Marc struck her on the head during a 2008 rehearsal, while he countered by asserting that he had merely tapped her forehead to demonstrate a physical joke for a scene. The case was dismissed in 2012, with the court ruling that Nicollette's termination was not wrongful and finding insufficient evidence to substantiate the assault allegations.
Almost a decade later, in the aftermath of Felicity pleading guilty to her involvement in a college admissions scandal in 2019, Eva penned a heartfelt letter on her behalf, hinting at a particularly problematic individual within the cast—though she refrained from naming names.
"The days I had to work with that person were sheer torture," Eva wrote in a letter to the judge at the time. "Felicity finally stood up to the bully one day, and it all ceased. Even though I never voiced my anxiety to anyone, Felicity sensed my distress."
Similarly, Marc seemed to allude to the same troublesome cast member in his own letter.
"Everyone tried their utmost to get along with this woman throughout the show's run," he penned. "It proved impossible, and things only escalated from bad to worse."
"Felicity continued to greet this actress with a 'good morning,' despite knowing she wouldn't receive a response," he continued. "When I inquired about it, Felicity smiled and said, 'Just because she chooses to be rude doesn't mean I should stop being polite.'"
