Dana Delany keeps up with her 'House'-work

By Rick Bentley / November 27, 2008
Being the new kid on the block can be tough. But that wasn't the case when Dana Delany found herself a resident of one of the best-known, most-troubled neighborhoods on television.

Delany joined the cast of ABC's Desperate Housewives in 2007, playing Katherine Mayfair. She had her chance to be part of the series from the start. But Delany originally turned down being part of this wicked wives club.
Desperate Housewives/ABC
"I had done Pasadena, and I thought it was too similar to the role I had played in that series," Delany, 52, says. "I don't think of jobs in terms of career. I look in terms of what excites me. And I felt I had already played that role.

"Then it became a huge hit. I looked at it and said 'Did I make a big mistake?' "


At least it was a mistake she was able to correct. Delany knows how lucky she has been to get a second chance to be in the series. That's rarely the case in Hollywood.

That second chance has a lot to do with the show's creator, Marc Cherry. He could not be happier that Delany said yes on his second attempt.

"We've had the best time with her, and we're all so grateful to the energy she brought to the show. One of my favorite things of last season was just the weird, twisted relationship that Dana and Marcia had. It was some of the most fun I think we've ever had writing," Cherry says.

He's referring to how the characters played by Delany and Marcia Cross went from rivals to catering partners. This year, the bond between the characters has gone even deeper.

The actress liked that Cherry wrote the character as being very cold in the beginning.

It wasn't until all of her secrets were revealed that the character was able to change. And Cherry plans on revealing more about Katherine. He'll have time. There was no discussion when Delany was hired as to how long she would stay on the show. But Cherry is determined to keep her around.

"I must say on a personal level," Cherry says, "now that I've worked with Dana, I need to work with her a couple more years. I can't just let her go yet."
Credit to Orlando Sentinel.