Staged Interview with Marc Cherry, executive producer of Desperate Housewives

A: Hello and welcome to TV-talk, I'm your host Irene.

B: I』m your other host Lydia.

A: Do you know who our guest is today?  He is regarded as 「the most dangerous man in show business.」

B: Surely I know! His show is 「the water-cooler show of 2004.」  That』s astonishing.

A: Totally!  Our guest is the executive producer of 「Desperate Housewives」- Marc Cherry.  He is the man who created those attractive characters and this show also won this year』s Golden Globe Award for best television comedy series.

B: What』s more! This show even set afloat the long-submerged ratings of the ABC network.  Thank you very much for joining us, Marc.  I will get right to the point.  As a male producer of this female- theme show, where or how do you get your inspiration?

M.C: Actually, it came from a conversation I had with my mother about the real-life case of a Texas woman who drowned her five children.  At that time, my mom told me 「I』ve been there.」  I was totally shocked.  That』s what makes me want to write something about housewives.

B: Why do you name this show 「desperate」?

M.C: It』s because I always thought that my mother loved her life, but in fact, I never knew her true feelings.  I never knew she could be so desperate, like that Texas woman.

A: So you think that housewives are all helpless?

M.C: Instead of saying helpless; I would say that I wanted to write something about the choices we make in life and what happens when that doesn't go well......All these women have made some kind of choice in their lives and are in various stages of regretting it.  That』s where the desperation comes from.

A: Then among these housewives, which one is most like your mother?

M.C: I would say it』s Bree.  I even enjoy writing this character.  Like Bree, my mother is a perfectionist.  Our house is always clean and our lawn is always green.  Her hair is always shining and her makeup is always glamorous.  So when I write this character, I am really writing about my own family.

B: Since your mother is such a perfectionist, how does she feel about you being a homosexual?

M.C: Oh, that』s a good question.  She actually couldn』t believe that I』m gay.  She just can』t handle this.  However, can we go back to the show? Ha ha~

B: sure~ Why do you choose this subtitle for your show- 「Everyone has a little dirty laundry.」  Is there something you are implying?

M.C: Not really.  I just wanted to show the audience the other side of, or more accurate, the truth behind housewives.

A: But in this show, they are all somewhat deceitful and dangerous?

M.C: Yeah!!! That』s what I wanted to show the audience.  Housewives are not the perfect wives or wonderful moms people always think of and see.  They can be strangers in disguise.

B: Why do you want to use a voice-over as the beginning of each show?

M.C: I think the voice-over is more neutral than any of the characters.  She may seeing things more clearly and is much calmer than the characters, which can be more reliable.

A: According to the survey, 40% of the audience are male, what do you think about that?

M.C: Oh, that』s good news to me.  I think it may be because 「desperate housewives」 is about the conflicts in families.  They argue and fight with each other, and most importantly, men want to know what their wives are doing behind their backs.

B: People say that this series saved the audience rating of ABC.  What do you feel about you saving them?

M.C: Well, I think it』s reciprocal. At first, none of the TV stations wanted my script, even HBO and NBC.  They just say no to me.  However, ABC gave me the chance and since I needed this chance, I grabbed it.

B: If ABC hadn』t accepted your work, what would you do to make this show seen?

M.C: Well, I really don』t know.  I feel it might be my last chance.  If it had failed, I wouldn』t know what to do next.  But at this point, I really appreciate ABC』s help.

A: What kind of sense are you trying to arouse in people through this show?

M.C: Mostly I think it may be sympathy or compassion.  Like what I said before, they are the other side of housewives.

B: Do you consider this series as a sequence to SATC?  Or something like Carrie』s life after marriage?

M.C: I wouldn』t say that. They are different and they are not related to each other.  I think Desperate Housewives is much closer to reality.  They can be anyone around us.

A: We know that Desperate Housewives is very popular, even the first lady loves it. What do you think is the reason of this show』s success?

M.C: It can be the desire of peeping at other』s personal live.  This show is about the dirty side under the beautiful surface.  That may be why it appeals to so many people.

B: Now that 「Desperate Housewives」 has achieved mega-success, the frustration that Cherry went through to create it has been supplanted by satisfaction.

A: So don』t miss this fabulous series.  Every Sunday evening for 60 minutes-Marc Cherry will give you the other side of housewives.  And thanks for your coming, Marc!

 

Group members: 黃怡儒(April)、王組慈(Lydia)、鄧德盈(Irene)