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movie news
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Fri. 07 14. 2006 3:47 PM EDT
Jesse Metcalfe Goes Back To School, Red G-String And All, In 'John Tucker'
The 'Desperate Housewives' gardener says he 'warmed up to' wearing skimpy undergarment.
by
Farrah Weinstein
Jesse Metcalfe
(
Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images
)
America's favorite garden boy got a taste of what it's like to be desperate himself when he donned a red G-string for his latest movie, "John Tucker Must Die."
"It was kind of a rush," admitted Metcalfe, the 27-year-old actor whom most people
readily identify as the hot gardener with the seductive six-pack on "Desperate Housewives." "It was me running down the hallway in a G-string in front of 50 extras. I don't think many men can say they've done that. But I can — I survived it and I think I'm a better, stronger person for it."
At first, Metcalfe wasn't too keen on wearing a G-string, and he told director Betty Thomas of his doubts. But after thinking about it — and probably recalling how a certain memorable underwear scene helped catapult a young Tom Cruise to stardom — he reconsidered.
"It wasn't in the script initially and [Thomas] kind of broke it to me gently," Metcalfe said. "I warmed up to it and thought it would be funny.
"Putting that thing on for the first time and preparing myself to go out and shoot that scene — I was a little nervous," he continued. "But once I got out there and I had my thong and my robe on, I was like, 'Let's just break the ice.' It got easier after the first take."
The thong was customized for "extra support and comfort, with white lace trimming" by the movie's wardrobe designer.
"I felt very pretty in it," cracked Metcalfe, who previously starred in the soap opera "Passions" and attended Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. "People are going to see me in a more comedic role, being more slapstick-y and over the top [in 'John Tucker']. I definitely get put in a lot of embarrassing situations. I think this film and this role are definitely going to prove I do have comedic chops and I don't take myself too seriously."
The teen comedy is the tale of its titular character — the king of his high school, the popular jock, the playboy — who dates three different girls from three different cliques at the same time. When they discover that he's cheating on them, the girls (including Ashanti and Sophia Bush) plan an attack to ruin his reputation and, in effect, make him un-datable.
"People are trying to label the movie as a reverse 'Mean Girls,' " Metcalfe said. "I actually modeled the character after Matthew Broderick in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.' And I took a couple of cues from 'Can't Buy Me Love,' one of my favorite movies when I was growing up."
He also took a couple of pointers from a particular jock back in his own high school days at the Williams School in Connecticut, because, well, every high school has a John Tucker.
"That's why it was fun to play this role," he said. "Sometimes the John Tuckers need to sit back because they're not all that, they're not that cool. You admire him, but at the same time, you resent him."
Metcalfe was far from a John Tucker-type during his school days.
"I wasn't the popular guy, that's for sure," he revealed. "I was caught somewhere between a jock and an artsy kid. I wasn't a musical theater geek, but I was definitely a loner. I went out with the same girl throughout all four years of high school."
Metcalfe — who listens to Wolfmother ("like a madman"), the Arctic Monkeys ("but I'm kind of over that") and Aerosmith ("I listened to 'Janie's Got a Gun' this morning") — also admits to being played "like an accordion" by at least one woman in his life.
"I wouldn't say I've been played to the extent that John Tucker gets played, but I think every time I got played, it was because I tried to play a girl and then she played me back," he said. "I deserved it."
Metcalfe also chokes at the thought of becoming America's next teen heartthrob, even though in some quarters, he already is.
"I think any actor who wants to have longevity wants to get away from that," he said. "Certain people and publications are already calling me that. Any actor who wants to get good roles and be taken seriously, that's not for them. It's not something I really think about."
On a related note, he said working with Ashanti on the film was an unexpectedly refreshing experience. "She's really laid back, easy-going and professional," he said. "Before working with someone like Ashanti, you might have a preconceived notion that an R&B star might be pretentious or a diva, but she wasn't at all. I actually wish I got to know her a little better — not to mention the fact that she's gorgeous."
Metcalfe said he isn't sure whether he'll be gracing the small screen on next season's "Desperate Housewives." But as far as he's concerned, he's here to stay.
"['Desperate Housewives'] is still up in the air," he said. "Whether I am, or whether I am not, I hope to still be moving forward in my career. That was a huge opportunity and it opened a lot of doors for me professionally. But who knows what the future holds?"
And while he's currently "100-percent monogamous" with Girls Aloud bandmember Nadine Coyle, Metcalfe says he likes women who have "confidence, assertiveness and are loyal."
"And they have to be sexy, too," he added. "I'm just keeping it real."
This report is from MTV News.
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