De Matteo 'not a replacement for Sheridan'

Published Thursday, Aug 27 2009, 12:36 BST | By Dan French

Warning: This article contains spoilers that some readers may prefer to avoid. Please click here if you wish to continue.

De Matteo 'not a replacement for Sheridan'

Rex Features

Marc Cherry has claimed that Desperate Housewives newcomer Drea de Matteo is not a replacement for Nicolette Sheridan.

De Matteo joined the cast earlier this year - following Sheridan's departure from the ABC show last season - in a role which was rumoured to mirror Sheridan's character Edie Britt.

However, the show's creator Marc Cherry has said that de Matteo's Angie Bolen is not similar to Sheridan's Edie.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he explained: "I don’t see Drea as a replacement for Nicolette. Her character is more a replacement for Neal [McDonough] in that she's [the focus] of the new mystery."

Disucssing the character of Angie, he revealed that she is "a very loving but tough Italian woman who comes [to Wisteria Lane] with her husband and her kid. They’re running from something. We understand through her actions in the first couple of episodes that she’s a smart woman who will do what she has to to protect her family".

Season six of Desperate Housewives begins Sunday, September 27 on ABC.