A Strange story with Jesse Metcalfe : CW told him that he looks too beautiful to be a vampire.
When your face robs you of roles
Jesse Metcalfe could have landed a vampire role if there wasn’t one small problem — his face is reportedly too good.
The 46-year-old actor recently opened up about his failed audition for “The Vampire Diaries” on Tori Spelling’s misSPELLING podcast.
“I’ll never forget, a very big executive from the CW said, ‘You could never be a vampire because your face is too good,'” Metcalfe revealed.
Despite his protests — “I’m really not that good. I’m too fast” — the role slipped through his fingers.
Hollywood’s harsh beauty standards
The “Desperate Housewives” star opened up about the harsh reality of being scrutinized for his looks, especially in the early 2000s.
“I faced a lot of scrutiny, a lot of criticism. Just being picked apart for my appearance,” he shared. “People don’t understand how tough the industry was in the Y2K era.”
Being a shirtless gardener on “Desperate Housewives” came with its own pressures.
“Being shirtless every episode brought a lot of pressure. Everyone expects you to be in that shape 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s not realistic.”
From “Keep secrets” to “Share everything”
The social media age has completely flipped the tables on celebrity privacy. Metcalfe admitted to struggling with the change.
“We were told for many years that we should keep our secrets. You didn’t want to put too much out there,” he explained. “Now it’s like, share everything.”
Luckily, his girlfriend Helene Immel helps handle his social media presence.
The label of “difficult”
Metcalfe didn’t hesitate to talk about his reputation in the industry.
“A lot of people have said I’m difficult to work with,” he admitted. “I think a lot of people who maybe didn’t like me tried to hurt my career, see? Or discredit me.”
Why does he believe that? “People really want actors to show up and not say anything. They don’t really want to hear your opinion. That’s the real problem.”
Love-hate relationship
Like his podcast host Spelling, Metcalfe feels he’s been controversial throughout his career.
“Throughout my whole life, people have either loved me or hated me,” the Nutrl Skin founder said.
“I got a lot of criticism growing up for the way I looked. A lot of hate. And I think that came out again when I came to Hollywood.”
Physical impact of fame
For his role in “John Tucker Must Die,” Metcalfe pushed his body to extremes, working out “three times a day” to maintain the strong physique expected by audiences.
The actor highlighted the unfair standard where paparazzi catch actors “looking ‘out of shape'” between projects when they’re simply taking a well-earned break from the gym.
Whether playing a teenage gardener or founding a skincare line, one thing is clear — looking great in Hollywood can sometimes be a curse.