Nicollette Sheridan has reflected on her exit from Desperate Housewives and the subsequent much-publicised legal battle.
After her character Edie was killed off, Sheridan filed a lawsuit against ABC, production studio Touchstone and show creator Marc Cherry, alleging that Cherry struck her on set and when she complained, she was written off the show.
Last year, the case was thrown out for a second time after the court found that there was "substantial undisputed evidence" that the decision to kill off Edie was a creative decision, but Sheridan is still appealing the decision.
"I was vilified for standing up for my rights, not only as a woman but as a human being. And I was punished for it. But that wasn't going to stop me because I had to get my dignity back, and if I'd let it slide, I couldn't have looked myself in the mirror," Sheridan told EW.
In response, Cherry's rep said in a statement: "Nicolette Sheridan was not a victim at the hands of Marc Cherry — a court has already ruled to that effect after hearing the testimony of multiple witnesses. We are disappointed that the judicial determination continues to be ignored."
Whatever happens with the legal battle, Sheridan says that her exit from the show led her to re-evaluate her relationship with the TV industry. "What happened at the end of Desperate Housewives was degrading and demoralising," she reflected.
"It sent me under a rock. I really grappled with what happened, losing faith in people and really not trusting the business at all. I didn't know that I wanted anything to do with the business for some time."
This month sees Sheridan make her debut in The CW's Dynasty reboot as the iconic character Alexis Carrington.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
