See Also: Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo) People Guide

Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo) revealed she is still "wiped out" from her Oscar-nominated role of transsexual Bree in Transamerica, and how immersing herself in the role prevented her from getting a grasp on Lynette when she began shooting Desperate Housewives.

"I felt like I was on a tightrope riding a unicycle and juggling a full glass of water," she told The Mail on Sunday's You magazine. "And that's understating it. I was so far at sea that I never saw the shore. I didn't know if it was going to be a complete disaster." Even though two years have passed since shooting the movie, Huffman is still mentally exhausted by the film. "I don't think I could go through something like that again right not. I'm still too wiped out from it."

Huffman went to shoot Desperate Housewives just five after Transamerica wrapped, a transition she did not find easy. "If you look at the first six or seven episodes, I'm totally lost," she said. "I couldn't shake Bree off. I couldn't find Lynette. The mood and the feel of the show—well, it has a specific tenor. I was so frustrated, because I knew the whole thing could take off in a big way. I kept calling my family and saying, 'Help! I'm not good! What do I do?'"

After trying to get away from Transamerica Bree, Huffman eventually appreciated their similarities. "They both struggle with parenting, to put it mildly. And on a social level, Bree feels that she doesn't have a voice. And Lynette feels like the difficultly of motherhood also has no voice. Everyone only ever wants to hear how wonderful it is. So, hopefully, in both instances it's giving voice to people who are too cowed to speak up."

With a clutch of awards, a successful TV show and a critically-acclaimed film now under her belt, Huffman said she still can't quite believe her change in luck. "The last couple of years have just been amazing," she said. "I can't believe I'm here. In fact, I feel like might all be a terrible mistake. Someone's going to come and say, 'No, we didn't mean you, we meant Felicity Guffman, that pretty, glamorous, young, skinny actress over there."

But she also sounded a cautious note, having experienced rejection in the past. "I lost count of the number of times people said, 'OK, this is your shot, your life's going to change now,' and then I didn't work for a year. I was getting the stuffing knocked out of me a bunch of times and I considered quitting more than once." She also said she wouldn't become over-confident. "If I start thinking that I've become the chosen one, I just need to remember all the times I've been fired."

The full interview appeared in the 19 March edition of You magazine.

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