Jesse Metcalfe understands the pressure that comes with being a heartthrob.
Fans may recognize Metcalfe as John Rowland from “Desperate Housewives,” the irresistible gardener who had a steamy affair with Eva Longoria’s Gabrielle Solis.
But though his chiseled body looked picture-perfect on the dramedy, he explained that it he felt a pressure to stay fit for the role.
“Being a sex symbol is very much about the roles that you play and my roles put me up on a pedestal,”he said in a recent interview with Vice’s i-D magazine.
“But my appearance was also criticized and picked apart by a lot of people in the media,” he explained, adding, “Having your shirt off in every episode of Housewives brought a lot of pressure.”
“Everyone expects you to stay in that shape 24/7, 365,” he continued, adding that it's "not realistic."
“That’s why paparazzi catch actors between projects looking ‘out of shape’ — they’re taking time off and that includes the gym,” he noted.
He continued: “You can run your body into the ground working out, not to mention the other things male actors do to stay fit.”
He also said he felt “caged” in the role.
“The industry tends to think if you look a certain way that’s all you have to offer,” he said. “The best thing I could’ve done at that time was be patient, which I was not, “he explained. “I did a string of indie films that didn’t work and should’ve kept my nose clean, so to speak. Between jobs, I just didn’t know what to do with myself.”
He explained that he “definitely wasn’t ready” for all the exposure the role gave him.
“I was 26, and I think [my] meteoric rise coalesced with the rise of the internet. It was like a tidal wave. Everything was getting thrown at me, and I was enjoying myself, but it was never something I had control over or made conscious decisions about. It was more that it was happening to me,” he said.
He admitted that while being the “it guy” came with a world of opportunities and perks, it was “all-consuming” and easy to get swept up in it.
“But then it all comes crashing down in the quiet moments, when you’re home alone. I was trying to stay focused on my career but there were a lot of distractions, especially LA nightlife,” he said.
In the interview, he notes the media scrutiny caused him a “great deal of anxiety and pressure,” which he coped with “drugs and alcohol.” In 2007, the now-43-year-old actor entered rehab for alcoholism, per CBS News.
However, he notes that he wouldn’t “change a thing” because the grind “built character” and he came out “stronger and better having been through what I’ve been through in my career.”
Metcalfe’s other notable roles include “John Tucker Must Die,” “Dallas,” “Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries,” and “Chesapeake Shores.”
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