Jesse Metcalfe has left the lawnmowers behind, put on a shirt and has become a part of the Jerry Bruckheimer produced action series “Chase,” premiering this fall on NBC.
The former breakout star on “Desperate Housewives” who grew up in Waterford has kept busy acting since the fling with Gabrielle Solis on “Housewives” catapulted his career.
Among his credits since then has been a lead in “John Tucker Must Die” and roles in “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” and the upcoming TV movie “Fairfield Road.” In “Chase,” he plays the new kid on a team of U.S. Marshals.
“I play Luke Watson. I’m the new addition to the team. I’m introduced to the team in the pilot episode. I’m often called the ‘green bean.’ I came from Washington, D.C. I was a prep school kid. I came from an affluent family. I basically had to leave Washington, D.C., because I did something bad, basically broke the law in some way. “
His back story also involves a father as political big shot, in whose shadow he lives until he’s off to the academy. “Basically, the driving force behind my character is proving myself and wanting to be a part of this team.”
“Luke Watson comes to Dallas, Texas, to get seduced by cowboy ways,” executive produer Jennifer Johnson says of Metcalfe’s character. “He will, in the course of the series, become a true cowboy.”
Metcalfe, a former romantic lead, agrees “This is a great departure for me. It’s a 180-degree turn from anything that I’ve done before. It’s a much more mature character, much more complex character. And I’m just really honored to be a part of a great ensemble cast.
“I think I’m going to learn a lot on this show, and I really have high hopes for this show. I think we all believe that we are creating something special, something new, something different from the average procedural that’s out there. ”
Still, he gets a lot of young women standing around him asking if he’ll ever be back to “Desperate Housewives,” to romantic comedies, or even to soap opera world, where he played on “Passions” for years. Or would he please take his shirt back off?
“I can give you a pretty definitive answer. I believe that ship has sailed, you know. This is where my focus is.”