Shawn Pyfrom Interview
2007
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 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.
(c) TheStarScoop.com
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