Seldom has a TV series earned so much attention so fast, but Desperate Housewives is the kind of guilty pleasure that few viewers can resist. It's also given Eva Longoria, who plays Latin sexpot Gabrielle Solis, the big career break she always hoped for.
Together with her co-stars Teri Hatcher, Nicolette Sheridan, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffmann, Longoria has emerged as a symbol of female frustration - her desperation manifested in the fact that although her teenage dreams of being a glamorous model and getting married to a handsome, rich man have come true, she still resents her life. She's also the youngest of the Housewives' cast, having recently celebrated her 30th birthday together with 300 family and friends, and has landed herself on several 'hottest babe' and 'sexiest women' lists of late.
This summer, Longoria will be in Toronto shooting The Sentinel with Michael Douglas, Kim Basinger and Kiefer Sutherland, one of many films currently landing in her lap, thanks to her Housewives' glory.
Eva, when you first started working on Desperate Housewives, did you have any idea that it could possibly turn into a hit series?
None of us could have imagined the kind of impact it's had with audiences. It's been unbelievable in every sense. We thought we had a very well-written, sexy show, which would probably find a niche out there, because it's not the typical series.
It works on so many different levels and treads this very fine satirical line. It's the type of concept that you can't really know in advance is going to work out until you're on the set.
Did you experience a moment where you realised that this could be a big event in your life?
I remember one night when I was sitting by myself in my home and I started crying and then laughing when I was thinking about how it's so great that this is happening and you almost can't believe it. It's the strangest but also the most wonderful feeling you can have.
How do the other women in the cast feel about the show's success?
It's pretty much the same experience. I know for Teri it's been a special moment, because she never really thought she was going to get a chance like this again, and then when she won the Golden Globe we were all so overjoyed for her.
A lot of series like yours often deal with nasty rumours about on-set fighting and jealousies. What's your relationship like with the cast?
It's the most supportive group of actors I've ever worked with. We're trying to do the best work possible and we all know how lucky we are to be involved with a series like this and we're hanging in there together. There's zero jealousy and competition between us. It would just be too stupid and we're all determined never to let anything ruin the incredible atmosphere we have on the set and the warm feeling we have from working together. It's one happy family and it's going to stay that way.
Both Teri Hatcher and Nicolette Sheridan have enjoyed this kind of success before. Have they given you some advice on how to deal with all the media hype surrounding you?
Yes, we've spoken a lot about that and it's a big help to know that you have friends like that who want to look out for you. It's really beautiful of them. They're both very protective of me because I haven't had to deal with this kind of attention. Sometimes you really feel that you're getting pulled in so many different directions because you're doing photo shoots, you're doing interviews, you're dealing with the normal stress of shooting a series, you're having to look at film offers and wondering how you can fit it in during the summer hiatus. So it's a lot to deal with.
I still remember that at the very beginning of shooting [Housewives], Nicolette told me that if anyone on the set was ever mean or arrogant to me, that I should tell her. She remembers how badly she was treated when she first started working on Knot's Landing, and she swore to herself that she would never let anyone else get treated that way or disrespected like that.
