Desparate Housewive’s James Denton On Lasting Love

by Jesse Kornbluth

(Page 8 of 9) Erin is aware, of course, that Jamie may be more in demand than usual for some time. Or maybe not. He’s the “mystery character” on Desperate Housewives, and when the mystery gets solved, who knows what will happen to him? “Scary, isn’t it?” he muses. “In every show I’ve ever been on, you look over your shoulder to see if the suits are pulling the plug. Now I’m on a show that’s safe and is clearly going to be around for a while, and you worry that you’re going to be killed. It’s a whole different paranoia.”It’s not as if the cast knows what’s going to happen; the only person who has any clue is the show’s creator, Marc Cherry. “I’m told there’s a big bomb dropped in the season finale,” Jamie says. “I hope it’s a cliffhanging bomb. My concern is that Mike ends up as Teri Hatcher’s boyfriend. If that happens, do I get a richer life—or am I expendable?”Right now, as the show’s testosterone catch, he’s essential. And that means he and Erin spend a great many evenings at charity dinners and industry events. This is not quite the life they dreamed of.It’s simpler for

Erin—“I try to brush my hair, and I’ve started wearing makeup”—but she’s not part of a national obsession. Jamie is, and it’s not always easy. “We went over to the rehearsal of the American Music Awards because I was a presenter,” he says. “And suddenly a news crew was interviewing me and Dick Clark came over.

Erin leaned over and said, ‘Bet you wish you’d taken a shower.’ I’ve got to keep reminding myself: I’m a hunk now.”Most of the time he’s philosophical about it: “My window of ‘hunky’ opportunity is closing so quickly, I’ve got to enjoy it for what it is.” The People magazine honor? “A belly laugh—especially for

Erin. You just have to throw up your hands. At my age …”Some things haven’t changed. The Dentons still play in a co-ed softball league, and Jamie, a left fielder, still revels in dazzling catches worthy of an ESPN highlight reel. They own a hundred acres in

Montana, and they’re holding onto the dream of moving there at some point when Desperate Housewives, or whatever the next money-maker turns out to be, has faded to sepia. And they still think that all they really need is a slightly bigger house.And who knows, they may be right. They have the kind of balance that allows them to take Jamie’s transition from character actor to bigtime heartthrob as a happy cosmic joke. Asked why their marriage works,