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Shawn Pyfrom plays Andrew Van de Kamp on ABC’s Desperate Housewives. His character has been known to get into all kinds of trouble, and Shawn tells us that we’ll soon learn more. Passionate about his role, easy-going and professional, we declare Shawn Pyfrom one of our new favorites (Even if we used to think Andrew needed to grow up)!

THE STAR SCOOP: Your character, Andrew, has changed a lot through the seasons. What have you had to do personally to go along with these changes?

SHAWN PYFROM: When I got kicked out on the street, obviously I came back; I was reformed. I had calmed down a little bit, seemed like matured. I wasn’t let in at all on why he was acting that way or if there was some sort of ulterior motive. I just decided that the streets had changed him and I decided to, according to the lines, he had calmed down, but I decided to play him a lot more mature, more adult, and less like a conniving kid. The way he was written, I had to act according to it. They don’t really let us know what’s going to be happening, to keep the mysteries a mystery, so we sort of have to go into it blindly and try to figure it out for ourselves.

THE STAR SCOOP: Over the course of the show, Andrew has become a very interesting and popular character. Why do you think that is?

SHAWN PYFROM: Well, for one, it’s always more interesting to watch the crazy guy, the bad guy. But now that he’s sort of settled down, I’m trying to figure out why. He’s complex. He obviously had a lot going on up in his head that motivated the actions that took place. Now that he has calmed down, it’s still complex. How did he go from this to that? They’re interested in the character to find out what more he’s going to do; what makes him tick, what moves him forward.

THE STAR SCOOP: People comment that Andrew always seems to know what’s going on, he seems to be a little bit smarter than everyone around him.

SHAWN PYFROM: He is a great, obvious manipulator. People know that he’s manipulating them. He’s pretty much using the situation to his advantage. He rarely ever gets screwed over for his actions. I think that’s another reason people love to watch him. It’s almost like they’re waiting for the minute he will fall. I don’t know when that day will be [laughs].

THE STAR SCOOP: How do fans treat you when you meet them?

SHAWN PYFROM: I’ve gotten some pretty tame fans up until recently. When I was in New York, there was one day I was walking down the street, and I noticed a few girls following, like for blocks, and they kept kind of running up in front of me and looking at my face, and hanging back, and running up and looking at my face and hanging back, and then finally at like five blocks, I turned around and looked at them, to see what they were doing. I half-assumed that recognized me, but I was like, I don’t know why they’re following me, so I just turned around. As soon as I did, they started screaming. I was like, whoa! I’ve never gotten anything like that before.

It was really interesting. I’ve also gotten really, really great compliments from people. People tell me they love watching the show for my character, and for a few other characters. I’m sure everyone gets that. Everyone has their own fans, I suppose. It’s really nice to hear that someone’s paid me a compliment. Because of the character that I play, him being gay, but also being a very strong character, that it’s helped them come out to their family, it’s helped them feel proud about being who they are, and that’s a really excellent compliment. An amazing feeling comes along with that. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.

THE STAR SCOOP: That must be a huge responsibility, to portray him accurately.

SHAWN PYFROM: I think what was great was the way that Marc Cherry developed the character. The only thing that I even feel an obligation to uphold and to portray is the gay part of him. I don’t want to stereotype him, and I think the great thing about the way the character’s been developed is they established him as Andrew first, before they established him as being gay. That does not define him as a character. He’s manipulative, narcissistic, he’s a sociopath, and he’s gay. I don’t want to offend anybody. I do my best to make sure I don’t. THE STAR SCOOP: Bree and Andrew have an interesting relationship in the show. What is your relationship with your mom like?

SHAWN PYFROM: [Laughs]. That’s funny, funny, funny. In some ways, my mom has many similarities to Bree, in the first season especially. I was 17 when I first started shooting the show. My mom was pretty strict. I want to use the right words, because I love my mom. We have a way better relationship now. Like most teenage boys, we got into it. We were not the best of friends for quite a while. As far as now goes, it’s gotten better, just like Bree and Andrew’s relationship.

THE STAR SCOOP: What should we expect to see on Desperate Housewives through the season?

SHAWN PYFROM: There’s an episode that will explain why Andrew has been acting the way he has been acting lately. I had a really great time shooting that episode. I don’t want to give away too much. It’s good, interesting. Anyone that’s a fan of Andrew would like it, I hope would like it. We have a new family, their story line is going to sort of unravel over the season. It’s more and more interesting as it goes along. We have some really good episodes coming up during sweeps. I don’t know what I’m allowed to say. I was shocked by it, and I’ve pretty much seen it all. It’s really good. Keep watching.

THE STAR SCOOP: If you could say something to your fans, what would you tell them?

SHAWN PYFROM: I’ve been misquoted on many occasions. I suppose those statements that have been taken out of context; the only thing I can do is just apologize that they have been, and the way that they’ve been taken out of context, they’ve obviously been taken out of context, that’s not what I meant by what I said. Maybe keep in mind, the interviewer did not post the question before the answer. Lately, when I’ve done an interview, on a lot of occasions they ask what it’s like playing a gay character, and what it’s like kissing a guy. You can say it’s great, or you could say it’s uncomfortable. For me, obviously being straight, it’s uncomfortable.

But I do what I have to do, it’s my job. And people have taken that out of context, turned it around and called me a homophobe and things like that. That’s obviously not who I am or what I am. It’s unfortunate. I don’t want people to be offended by that. That’s why I decided to make that statement. Also, being that I am still getting used to this, I’m not all that great at giving out those sound bytes, speaking in way of text. That’s one thing that I’m still trying to learn. When I talk to people, you hear my tone, you understand where I’m coming from, judging by the way I say it. But, when it’s printed in text, it obviously may read differently.

THE STAR SCOOP: What do you do in your free time?

SHAWN PYFROM: It’s a lot more difficult to get another role to shoot during a hiatus or something like that. Because I’m not one of the lead ladies or anything like that, I doubt any movie would be willing to work their schedule in the time that I have off. In my spare time, I’ve picked up a few other hobbies. I paint, and I have started doing musical production on a garage band. I kind of sing, so, I do that, and just record it. At this point it’s all for fun. I’m just trying to pick up as many hobbies as possible. I enjoy art in all mediums. Painting, drawing, music, and acting of course. I try to get myself involved in all aspects of it.

Shawn Pyfrom plays Andrew Van de Kamp on ABC’s Desperate Housewives. His character has been known to get into all kinds of trouble, and Shawn tells us that we’ll soon learn more. Passionate about his role, easy-going and professional, we declare Shawn Pyfrom one of our new favorites (Even if we used to think Andrew needed to grow up)!

THE STAR SCOOP:

Your character, Andrew, has changed a lot through the seasons. What have you had to do personally to go along with these changes?

Shawn Pyfrom:

When I got kicked out on the street, obviously I came back; I was reformed. I had calmed down a little bit, seemed like matured. I wasn’t let in at all on why he was acting that way or if there was some sort of ulterior motive. I just decided that the streets had changed him and I decided to, according to the lines, he had calmed down, but I decided to play him a lot more mature, more adult, and less like a conniving kid. The way he was written, I had to act according to it. They don’t really let us know what’s going to be happening, to keep the mysteries a mystery, so we sort of have to go into it blindly and try to figure it out for ourselves.

The Star Scoop:

Over the course of the show, Andrew has become a very interesting and popular character. Why do you think that is?

Pyfrom:

Well, for one, it’s always more interesting to watch the crazy guy, the bad guy. But now that he’s sort of settled down, I’m trying to figure out why. He’s complex. He obviously had a lot going on up in his head that motivated the actions that took place. Now that he has calmed down, it’s still complex. How did he go from this to that? They’re interested in the character to find out what more he’s going to do; what makes him tick, what moves him forward.

The Star Scoop:

People comment that Andrew always seems to know what’s going on, he seems to be a little bit smarter than everyone around him.

Pyfrom:

He is a great, obvious manipulator. People know that he’s manipulating them. He’s pretty much using the situation to his advantage. He rarely ever gets screwed over for his actions. I think that’s another reason people love to watch him. It’s almost like they’re waiting for the minute he will fall. I don’t know when that day will be [laughs].

The Star Scoop:

How do fans treat you when you meet them?

Pyfrom:

I’ve gotten some pretty tame fans up until recently. When I was in New York, there was one day I was walking down the street, and I noticed a few girls following, like for blocks, and they kept kind of running up in front of me and looking at my face, and hanging back, and running up and looking at my face and hanging back, and then finally at like five blocks, I turned around and looked at them, to see what they were doing. I half-assumed that recognized me, but I was like, I don’t know why they’re following me, so I just turned around. As soon as I did, they started screaming. I was like, whoa! I’ve never gotten anything like that before. It was really interesting. I’ve also gotten really, really great compliments from people. People tell me they love watching the show for my character, and for a few other characters. I’m sure everyone gets that. Everyone has their own fans, I suppose. It’s really nice to hear that someone’s paid me a compliment. Because of the character that I play, him being gay, but also being a very strong character, that it’s helped them come out to their family, it’s helped them feel proud about being who they are, and that’s a really excellent compliment. An amazing feeling comes along with that. It makes me feel like I’m doing something right.

The Star Scoop:

That must be a huge responsibility, to portray him accurately.

Pyfrom:

I think what was great was the way that Marc Cherry developed the character. The only thing that I even feel an obligation to uphold and to portray is the gay part of him. I don’t want to stereotype him, and I think the great thing about the way the character’s been developed is they established him as Andrew first, before they established him as being gay. That does not define him as a character. He’s manipulative, narcissistic, he’s a sociopath, and he’s gay. I don’t want to offend anybody. I do my best to make sure I don’t.

The Star Scoop:

Bree and Andrew have an interesting relationship in the show. What is your relationship with your mom like?

Pyfrom:

[Laughs]. That’s funny, funny, funny. In some ways, my mom has many similarities to Bree, in the first season especially. I was 17 when I first started shooting the show. My mom was pretty strict. I want to use the right words, because I love my mom. We have a way better relationship now. Like most teenage boys, we got into it. We were not the best of friends for quite a while. As far as now goes, it’s gotten better, just like Bree and Andrew’s relationship.

The Star Scoop:

What should we expect to see on Desperate Housewives through the season?

Pyfrom:

There’s an episode that will explain why Andrew has been acting the way he has been acting lately. I had a really great time shooting that episode. I don’t want to give away too much. It’s good, interesting. Anyone that’s a fan of Andrew would like it, I hope would like it. We have a new family, their story line is going to sort of unravel over the season. It’s more and more interesting as it goes along. We have some really good episodes coming up during sweeps. I don’t know what I’m allowed to say. I was shocked by it, and I’ve pretty much seen it all. It’s really good. Keep watching.

The Star Scoop:

If you could say something to your fans, what would you tell them?

Pyfrom:

I’ve been misquoted on many occasions. I suppose those statements that have been taken out of context; the only thing I can do is just apologize that they have been, and the way that they’ve been taken out of context, they’ve obviously been taken out of context, that’s not what I meant by what I said. Maybe keep in mind, the interviewer did not post the question before the answer. Lately, when I’ve done an interview, on a lot of occasions they ask what it’s like playing a gay character, and what it’s like kissing a guy. You can say it’s great, or you could say it’s uncomfortable. For me, obviously being straight, it’s uncomfortable. But I do what I have to do, it’s my job. And people have taken that out of context, turned it around and called me a homophobe and things like that. That’s obviously not who I am or what I am. It’s unfortunate. I don’t want people to be offended by that. That’s why I decided to make that statement. Also, being that I am still getting used to this, I’m not all that great at giving out those sound bytes, speaking in way of text. That’s one thing that I’m still trying to learn. When I talk to people, you hear my tone, you understand where I’m coming from, judging by the way I say it. But, when it’s printed in text, it obviously may read differently.

The Star Scoop:

What do you do in your free time?

Pyfrom:

It’s a lot more difficult to get another role to shoot during a hiatus or something like that. Because I’m not one of the lead ladies or anything like that, I doubt any movie would be willing to work their in the time that I have off. In my spare time, I’ve picked up a few other hobbies. I paint, and I have started doing musical production on a garage band. I kind of sing, so, I do that, and just record it. At this point it’s all for fun. I’m just trying to pick up as many hobbies as possible. I enjoy art in all mediums. Painting, drawing, music, and acting of course. I try to get myself involved in all aspects of it.