Steve Pate and Nicollette Sheridan arrive on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of 'Star Trek' held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on April 30, 2009 in Hollywood, Calif.
© David Gabber / PR Photos
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Nicollette Sheridan is opening up about her exit from "Desperate Housewives," a move the actress considers a "risky decision."
In the latest issue of TV Guide, the 45-year-old star talks about her reaction when she first heard the news that her character Edie Britt was finished on the show.
"I said, 'OK, sayonara. It's been a great ride. Thank you,' " she recalls, then warning, "[killing off Edie] was a risky decision that could have devastating ramifications."
That warning was directed at the show's creator, Marc Cherry, whom Sheridan believes has had it in for her from the beginning.
"Somebody up there really wanted her dead," Sheridan tells the magazine in reference to Cherry.
"I think that whoever Edie represented in Marc's life was somebody he didn't like," she adds. "And he had a very difficult time distinguishing between fact and fiction."
Cherry was quick to defend himself, saying Sheridan's exit wasn't personal.
"Edie's already slept with most of the guys on the street and has caused about as many problems as she could," he explains to the mag.
"There has been tremendous pressure put on me to find ways to cut costs," he continues. "The network is saying to all the shows: 'The company is really hurting financially. You must find a way to produce these shows more cheaply.' "
Sheridan wasn't about to buy Cherry's explanation after feeling from the beginning that she wasn't part of his big four — Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria Parker.
"When you have a jewel," she asks of Cherry, "why not polish it and put it out there for all to see?"
While part of her perhaps wishes things would have been different all along on Wisteria Lane, Sheridan says she's looking forward to the next chapter in her life.
"When the show started it was such a different beast. It was exciting and dangerous and funny and edgy and bizarre," says Sheridan. "It started feeling a little complacent, and that was very frustrating."
