Desparate Housewive’s James Denton On Lasting Love

by Jesse Kornbluth

(Page 3 of 9) Erin—still very much involved in a doomed relationship—was relieved. A week later, though, another actor dropped out and Jamie was in.“We started as friends,”

Erin says. “After rehearsal one day, he asked, ‘Ever go out for a beer?’ That’s how we started hanging out, shooting pool. It felt safe, because you’re telling yourself: ‘I’m not going to be in a relationship for a while.’ And because you’re saying ‘This is who I am’—you’re not trying to hide the bad parts.”There was another safety valve. Jamie and Erin shared a common mantra: “Nobody else with a head shot.” In other words, no romance with another actor. “Being with a struggling actor is hell,” Jamie says. “And two actors together—one is always failing. Or both of you are. There’s not enough support to go around.”

Erin felt the same way. “I’d been badly burned in a relationship with an actor,” she says, “and wasn’t looking for another.” But as they grew closer, Jamie told himself that pursuing

Erin didn’t violate the rule: she was no longer a professional actress. And

Erin’s resistance was weak; because they’d started as friends, she saw “no big surprises” ahead.And so, as he had done before, Jamie popped the question: “Want to live together?” She had the better apartment, but he owned his. And he had a dog. So