FELICITY HUFFMAN | Q & amp;A 'Housewives' star goes for the gold

Her performance in 'Transamerica' has been widely praised.
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Fresh off her Emmy win for "Desperate Housewives," Felicity Huffman probably should hold off on putting her gown in storage.
The smart money has her going to another fancy awards show in March when they hand out the Oscars. She'll also be attending the Golden Globes Jan. 16 as a double nominee.
Huffman's portrayal in "Transamerica," in which she plays a man about to undergo an operation to become a woman, is widely considered one of the best performances by an actress this year.
The 42-year-old actress, who worked in relative obscurity in the theater and in supporting film roles most of her career, got her big break on the TV series "Sports Night." Then, "Desperate Housewives" became a cultural phenomenon, turning the entire female cast into cover girls.
Huffman, who is married to actor William H. Macy, talks about her stunned reaction to being part of that phenomenon, why snoopy reporters don't look in her trash cans and how she prepared for the role in "Transamerica."
Q. I've heard that the director of "Transamerica" saw you in an off-Broadway play and immediately thought of you for this role. Is that a compliment?
A. I was never billed as a great beauty, so that was fine. I was just surprised that he actually saw me in that play. How many people see off-Broadway plays?
Q. What was more difficult; learning how to play a man, or learning how to play a woman again?
A. That's a great question. The externals were really hard. You don't often get the woman-playing-a-man-playing-a-woman roles. Usually, it's a man playing a woman, or a woman playing a man. These triple roles are daunting. So, I brought it down to its essential level. What is it? It's a journey. It's the story of a woman who is seeking to become who she really is.
Q. Did you do any research for the role?
A. I read every autobiography I could find. I saw every documentary. I went to transgender conventions. I met and worked with transgender women. I worked with a woman who coaches men who are becoming women on how to act like a woman.
Q. What did you ask the transgender women?
A. I wanted to find out their stories. I wanted to know what it was like with their families, and what it was like the first time they walked out as a woman. Things like that.
Q. Do you see "Transamerica" as a tragic story?
A. No. I see it as a comedy.
Q. Speaking of great roles, were you crushed when they took "Sports Night" off the air?
A. It was heartbreaking.
Q. I'm surprised that you didn't swear off TV forever.
A. Are you kidding? What kind of a position do you think I'm in? I'd take a dog commercial if they offered it. Do you really think I could say no to TV? But I was disappointed that it went off the air. I felt I could have played that character until I was a grandmother.
Q. Obviously, you didn't give up on TV. I'd love to know how an independent film actress like you ended up on one of the glitziest hits on television.
A. Yeah, isn't that amazing?
Q. How amazing?
A. There are two amazing things at work here. The first is the show itself, which is lightning in a bottle. The second amazing thing is that I'm in it.
Q. Once you realized what was happening, what was your reaction?
A. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it was happening to me. It feels like it is happening to someone else. I don't feel a part of the phenomenon of "Desperate Housewives." I don't experience it as much as the other women. They get followed. They have people going through their trash.
Q. You don't get any of that?
A. No.
Q. Even after the Emmy?
A. No. Of course, it might have something to do with the fact that we never leave the house.