When Marc Cherry was casting Desperate Housewives in 2004, he thought actress Dana Delany would be ideal as perfectionist Bree. But Delany turned down the offer, missing out on what became the TV sensation of the season and made mega-stars of the women of Wisteria Lane. “I’d just finished a series, Pasadena,” Delany says. “I didn’t want to go back into one. And I thought it was too similar to the role I played on that series.”
Cherry, however, didn’t forget about Delany, and when he was looking for an actress in 2007 to join the cast as Bree’s rival, Katherine Mayfair, he once again approached Delany. This time she said “yes.” “I’m not stupid,” she laughs, adding that although she is delighted with her current role, she has no regrets about her initial “no.” “You only get second chances a few times in life.”
For Delany, the scenario worked better than she could have imagined. Katherine has been a fan favorite ever since she moved into the neighborhood, secrets in tow. Given a juicy storyline (she ultimately killed her abusive husband), Delany also sunk her teeth into delectably bitchy scenes with Bree (Marcia Cross), now her catering business partner.
It’s just for TV, underlines Delany, who calls Cross “a great gal, the kindest person. Sometimes she makes faces and I just can’t stop laughing.”
She credits Marc Cherry’s writing for
